While New Year’s Eve is celebrated around the world the Scots have a long rich heritage associated with the event and even have their own word for it – Hogmanay. Theories abound about the derivation of the word ‘Hogmanay’. The Scandinavian word for the feast preceding Yule was ‘Hoggonott’, while the Flemish words – many of which came into the Scots language – ‘hoog min dag’ means ‘great love day.’ Hogmanay could also be traced back to the Anglo Saxon ‘Haleg monath’, holy month, or the Gaelic ‘òg maiden’, which refers to ‘new morning. But the most likely source seems to be the French ‘Homme est … [Read more...] about Background on Hogmanay In Scotland
Archives for December 2011
Scotland’s Reindeer in the Cairngorms
Reindeer were re-introduced to Scotland in the Cairngorm Mountains in 1952 by a Swedish Sámi by the name of Michal Utsi. The Cairngorm Reindeer are the UK’s only free-ranging herd, and they roam the slopes of some of Scotland’s highest peaks, feeding on the only sub-arctic territory in the UK. As a herder it was my job to ‘roam’ out and locate them throughout the year. These reindeer are still managed today in much the same way as they were when Mr Utsi brought them here. They spend almost their entire life on the mountains with minimal fuss needed from the herders. The herders know each … [Read more...] about Scotland’s Reindeer in the Cairngorms
