Stonehaven

Today I'm in Stonehaven, on the east coast of the country in the county of Aberdeenshire. It grew up originally as an iron-age fishing village, and remained an important fishing centre until the last century. However, over-fishing of the local waters meant that the catches were ever declining and now only supports the local population. Instead, it has become a centre for tourism and marine services as well as an upmarket residential area thanks to the boom from North Sea oil.

The reason I'm here is to witness one of Scotland's more peculiar Hogmanay traditions. What is Hogmany, I hear you ask? Well, it's the New Year's celebration. There is some dispute as to the origins of the word, but most accept that it has its roots in the concept of 'gift giving' to bring luck for the new year. All over Scotland people have parties, go to organised events and generally have a good time late into the night or indeed right through the following day too.

The Hogmany celebration in Stonehaven is the Ancient Fireballs Ceremony, and it's certainly one of the most spectacular. When the town clock strikes midnight, up to sixty people walk through the streets swinging fireballs around their heads. A fireball is a wire mesh stuffed with combustible material such as tar, oil, wood and coal and then soaked in paraffin to make sure it burns well. Each ball is made as big as the individual can carry, usually up to 15 pounds, or 7 kilos in weight and as large as 3 feet across, or approximately 1 metre. As the 'swingers', who by the way are all residents of the town, make their way through the streets they are accompanied by a pipes and drums band all the way to the harbour where the fireballs are tossed into the sea.

So what does it all mean? Well, some say that the fireballs represent the sun as it coincides with the winter solstice. Others believe the fire is to ward off the eveil spirits, a idea common to Halloween too. Local tradition states that in the Dark Ages the sighting of a shooting star over the town was followed by a particularly good harvest, so the fireballs are supposed to bring prosperity to the town once more.

In any case, it's a delightful event and one which attracts up to 14,000 visitors each year. If you're ever lucky enough to be in the area at the end of the year make sure you pay a visit and you too can experience this most peculiar Scottish Hogmany tradition.