Hogmanay Hootenanny

The end of 2008 brought together some familiar and some not so familiar things. First we watched the Edinburgh tattoo. It is almost familiar to me now to see massed pipe bands (bagpipes, that is) and miles and miles of kilts.

New Years Eve here is called Hogmanay. No one knows with certainty why. There are a variety of explanations for the name--Gaelic, Norse, Flemish or French--take your pick. New Year's came to be more important up here as Christmas was down played. In the anti-Catholic reaction of the Protestant reformation festivals and images and such were regarded as suspect.

There was a street party in town, but it has been many many years since I went to a street party on either continent, so we headed home. My husband decided at the last minute to make a fancy dinner so he was running in and out of the stores that were still open as my worries grew. He makes me very nervous in the kitchen. Let's just say that he is very imaginative with his cooking and finds such things as recipes and cookbooks too restricting for his talents. I must give credit where credit is due: sometimes it works well. 'Nuff said on that score til the dinner is presented. I have learned after 4 years to stay out of the kitchen--it is better for us both on these occasions.

Just as in the States, there was the uncertainty--will I stay up til midnight or not? and the usual array of celebrities--most of them only vaguely familiar to me saying bland things to fill in the last moments before the countdown. The odd thing was the word hootenanny. I had not heard that word for many years. It connoted to me folk music and coffee bars. I never quite sussed what it meant here other than a collection of people making music between the people talking about the people making music and all of them really just marking time.

We made it to midnight. I put down my knitting long enough for a toast and a kiss, then I knit a couple more rows and called it a day--and a year.

I hope your Hogmanay was as contented as mine and as eventful as you hoped for.