Happy New Year

I know I'm a few weeks late, but I wanted to post some pics of what we did for New Year's Eve, because it was uniquely Scottish! Some neighbors invited us to the Comrie Flambeaux, said to be Scotland's oldest New Year's celebration. The Flambeaux draws thousands of people who gather as close to the village center as possible. Now Comrie is a true Scottish village and its locals are sticklers about the use of the term. I made the mistake of referring to it as a town and was quickly corrected!
The pre-midnight festivities include a parade of babpipers, participants in the "Fancy Dress" Contest, and a lot of homemade floats and signs (many of which referenced American politics!) A ceilidh (a Gaelic word for dance, pronounced KAY-LEE) goes on throughout the evening. At midnight, everyone counts down and the moment is marked by fireworks and pipers playing "Same Old Lang Syne". Our neighbor made it extra special with a toast using sparkling juice pulled from his coat! It was at this point that I learned the importance of the "Happy New Year" greeting to the Scottish people. I was accosted by strangers (many of whom were drunk) trying to kiss my cheek and wish me a happy New Year...for this I was not prepared. Even weeks afterward, people insisted on wishing me a happy New Year this way.
After the fireworks, the main event begins: the lighting of the Flambeaux. Flambeaux are enormous wooden torches. There are eight or so of them lit in the center of the village and then paraded to the four corners of it to usher out any evil spirits. They are joined by the pipers and mini-floats. While I don't put any stock in the spirituality of the event, it's a pretty amazing sight to see. During the parade, we walked around the village (taking in sites such as the "White Church" Community Centre built in 1805) and even attempted the "Gay Gordons" and "Canadian Barn Dance", which Anne Williamson was kind enough to teach us.
Following the Flambeaux, many Scots participate in "First Footing", a Scottish tradition that involves visiting the homes of family and friends until the early hours of the morning. However, we just headed on home and went to bed.