11 New Year’s Eve Traditions From Around the World
| March 23, 2016
Scotland
Another hot and heavy New Year’s Eve is celebrated in Scotland. Bonfire ceremonies are extremely popular throughout the entire nation, though the village of Stonehaven is especially famous. There, townspeople parade through the village while swinging giant fireballs on poles as part of the Hogmanay celebrations, tracing its roots back to the Vikings. The fireballs are supposed to represent the sun, which purifies the New Year.
A bit more jolly and less incendiary is the tradition of “first-footing,” which requires that the first person to enter a home in the New Year should come bearing a gift (most likely booze).
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