Hogmanay (pronounced hugmene) is the Scots  word for the last day of the year and is synonymous with the celebration of the New Year's Eve and Day  in the Scottish manner. It is, however, normally only the start of a celebration which lasts through the night until the morning of New Year's Eve and Day. 

There are specific rituals and special foods as the shortbread to the left. More about rituals and foods are in my excerpt from my novel below.

The Hogmanay custom of singing "Auld Lang Syne"  " has become common in many countries. "Auld Lang Syne" is a traditional poem reinterpreted by Robert Burns , which was later set to music. It is now common for this to be sung in a circle of linked arms that are crossed over one another as the clock strikes midnight for New Year's Day, although it is only intended that participants link arms at the beginning of the final verse, coordinating with the lines of the song which contain the lyrics to do so. Typically it is only in Scotland this practice is carried out correctly.

People travel to Scotland from all over the world to participate in the country's special holiday.

 As a Scottish immigrant living in San Francisco my family celebrated Hogmanay – Scottish New Year with many rituals and special foods.  I had to include it in my book.

Excerpt from 'THE SKYE IN JUNE" by J. Ahern

Hogmanay in San Francisco

 Cathy dunked her cloth into the bucket and stopped washing the bay windows as she meditated over the soapy bubbles and remembered past New Year's Eves in Scotland. The days before the event were always very busy with giving the house a thorough cleaning, as was the tradition. It was thought that starting the New Year with a tidy and neat house would bring good luck. Besides hauling the carpets downstairs to the backyard for a hard beating to clean them, all bedding and curtains were taken to the steamie, as Laundromats are called in Scotland. On the family's last Hogmanay in Glasgow, it was decided that Annie was old enough to help out while Granny B watched the young bairns. Cathy and Annie pushed the baby pram[1] crammed full of curtains and linens along the streets, meeting other mothers and daughters on the same journey.

After waiting in line in the December chill they bought a ticket to enter the huge steamy room, smelling of wet clothes and soap. The steamie was full of women and girls, laughing and gossiping as they scrubbed their laundry on the washing board. Piece by piece they scrubbed up and down in big sinks filled with hot water, and then wrung it all out by hand. They hung the laundry on wall racks for drying, and placed larger items in big, hot cupboards that were pulled out of the wall. The gossiping and joking never stopped. The work was hard, but the excitement of the upcoming holiday created a festive atmosphere.

In reflection, Cathy realized how much she missed those times, especially the companionship of her mother and sisters-in-law at the holidays. Still, she as was excited as the girls were about the party. With every wipe of the window, she assured herself that her family would be blessed anew.

A loud thump from her new Westinghouse washing machine on the back porch of the flat interrupted her daydream. The sheets must all be on one side, she thought as she tossed her washrag into the pail and went to deal with the problem.

# # #

 June proudly presented Mrs. G with an invitation to their party. "It's for your whole family," she exclaimed.

Mrs. G accepted the invite, saying that she, her daughter Tesia and her son-in-law would be most honored to attend. Later that day Mrs. G insisted to Cathy that she and Tesia would like to help with the preparations. Cathy gladly accepted, relieved to have the women's help as the things that still needed to be done overwhelmed her.

Jimmy and Sandy painted the living room and hallway a fresh coat of white paint with deep green on the wainscot and molding. Cathy used Mrs. G's sewing machine to make drapes and curtains for the bay windows. She chose a rich burgundy color for the drapes that went well with the green paint and lacey white curtains that would go beneath them.

When all was finished, Cathy and Jimmy watched their girls dance around with glee, exclaiming, "We have a house like a rich person." They indeed felt richly blessed with their new life.

The most welcomed gift of all was Mrs. G's offer to make new holiday dresses for the girls. At first Cathy declined the generous offer, having noticed how easily the old woman tired. But Mrs. G insisted. She worked at her kitchen table making the dresses. June helped by running around the table and tidying up unused material and pieces of thread.

Once the dresses were finished, the old woman invited Cathy down to look at them. "I make a party dress for you, too," Mrs. G said, pointing to a dress hanging on the back of a door.

What Cathy saw, took her breath away. She ran her fingers gingerly over the fine French stitching on the hem of a dove-gray satin dress that had an authentic store-bought look. In an unusual display of emotion, Cathy threw her arms around the surprised old woman.

As the day grew closer to Hogmanay, they shopped up and down Castro Street for the essential ingredients for the special Hogmanay foods that they would make.

Laughter and gossip erupted anytime the kitchen door opened as the women prepared the feast. When Cathy related funny tales of the steamie, the other women laughed heartily. The girls listened with merry curiosity as the adults reminisced about "home," each telling her own story about life in Poland or Scotland.

With the cooking underway, Mrs. G and Tesia agreed with Cathy when she said it was good that the girls would learn the proper preparation of the Scottish foods.

"We must not forget our customs," Mrs. G said adamantly. The other women nodded their heads affirmatively at her wisdom.

When it was time to bake the sweets June helped Annie roll out the dough for the cookies with a large rolling pin that Granny B had gifted Annie, before leaving Scotland.

The girls happily tested the freshly baked buttery shortbread, sugar cookies and the Dundee cake—a Hogmanay special. Mrs. G showed them how to decorate the cookies with sugar frosting by dipping a butter knife into hot water and carefully running it over the top of the frosting to give it a shinny glaze.

"Mommy, see how fancy," Maggie said, surveying the platter of cookies.

The women sipped glasses of sherry that would later be used for making the trifle pudding, which was a favorite holiday dessert made with cake, peaches soaked in wine and boiled custard poured all over it.

The baked goods were stored away and attention was turned to the main courses. Stewed meat with thick brown gravy was placed into deep pans. Annie used Granny B's rolling pin to make a thin crust for the top of the pans. She then brushed a raw egg across the top so it would bake to a perfect golden brown, just the way Granny would have wanted it.

By the day of the party, steak pies, a large ham, the delicate trifle pudding and other delicious holiday foods lined the shelves in the Frigidaire, ready to be heated up when needed.

With the kitchen work finished, the girls hung colorful streamers throughout the flat, and dangled fun paper party hats from them. Jimmy held Maggie up to hang a piece of mistletoe at the front door. This custom was not for kissing, like at Christmas, but to prevent illness in the household.

It was a fun time in the MacDonald house. Since many of the guests also had young children, the party would start in the early afternoon of New Year's Day. The girls were so excited they stayed up until midnight, giggling and talking before falling asleep. The next morning they hurried home from the special New Year's Day Mass to change into their party clothes, readying themselves for the guests arriving at noon.

Cathy brushed each of the girls' hair until it shined, or, in June's case, laid down and stayed in place with two pretty yellow barrettes on each side. She decorated her other daughters' hair with ribbons the same color as their dresses.

Annie wore a forest-green dress with gold threads running through it. Maggie wore a dress of plush cranberry velvet, and Mary donned a soft champagne lace dress that emphasized the gold in her brown eyes.

"Oh Mary, we must get a picture of you for Granda! You look lovely," Cathy said.

June's royal blue tunic and white blouse vividly accentuated her blue eyes and red hair.

"Heel, toe, heel, toe," June said gleefully as she tap danced into the living room to show her father her new outfit.

"You're beautiful, pet!" he gushed over her.

June's heart soared, and her face radiated with joy from the rare kind attention from her father.

Cathy, too, had on her new dress. The dove-gray satin dress had three large onyx buttons on the bodice that ended at her waist, cinched smaller by a wide black belt. The skirt puffed out with help from the petticoat borrowed from Tesia. The wide v-neck collar showed off a necklace of cut glass that sparkled like diamonds. The necklace was a surprise Christmas present from Jimmy, who usually gave her practical gifts.

"Cocktail, honey?" Jimmy called out from the kitchen. The girls, who were in the kitchen opening Coca-Colas, giggled at his use of the word honey, an American endearment.

With her satin dress swishing, Cathy entered the kitchen. Jimmy whistled, "My God, woman, you look smashing! You'll be the belle of the ball," he kissed her cheek, not wanting to mess up her red lipstick.

The girls stared at their mother in awe. Maggie said she looked like a movie star.

With the chime of the doorbell, everyone ran off to greet the first guest. They hurried into position, eager to view the first footer waiting downstairs at the door to the building. They were ready for a dark-haired man to walk through the door, signaling good luck in the New Year. What they saw was Sandy's thinning blonde hair as he stepped over the threshold and into the lobby of the building.

"Sandy! For God's sake, get out, man!" Jimmy yelled down to him.

The mistake was Mark's fault.

It had been pre-arranged by Jimmy that the first foot would be Ian, a Scottish friend who was a tall man with black hair. But before Ian could step into the building, Mark had pushed ahead of him. As Sandy reached past Ian to pull his son back, he had stumbled through the door when it opened. As fate would have it, light haired, balding Sandy was the first person with a foot in the MacDonald's building on Hogmanay.

The girls hung over the banister booing boisterously at Mark as his father backed out, dragging his son by the scruff of the neck. Ian bounded up the stairs. Hoping to smooth over the error, he adamantly protested that he did indeed have the first foot in the flat. He handed Jimmy the traditional Hogmanay gifts.

"Fattie brattie Marky," said Maggie mockingly when Mark dashed by.

Huffing and puffing, Nancy arrived at the top of the landing and, in her loud American voice, scolded the Scots on how silly they were to be so superstitious.

A stout Scottish woman coming up behind her said, "Wheesht, silly woman."

At first, guests were a bit sober from the unexpected event but it didn't last for long. The adults soon had a few glasses of cheer and the party began.

More guests arrived, singing out the traditional Hogmanay greeting, "A good year to you!" They brought gifts of food and spirits—whiskey, malt beer and gin. As the day went on, the story about the blonde first foot made its rounds and the celebrators kidded about what kind of bad luck might befall the MacDonalds in the coming year.

Inspired, June rushed down the hallway and came back into the living room with the picture of her angel and a roll of Scotch tape. She asked Uncle Sandy to put it up on the wall. When it was secure, Ian's wife exclaimed, "Look. Doesn't it remind you of back home in Skye? Especially around the Dunvegan area?"

"Aye, could be. Och, with those flowers, could be anywhere in Skye," Sandy answered, returning to his plate of food and glass of whiskey. 

June looked at him curiously, wondering, Flowers in the sky? Maybe Uncle Ian is like me. Maybe he can see things other people don't. She reminded herself to ask Mrs. G if she ever saw flowers in the sky.

The mood lightened and the singing of Scottish songs became the main activity. Each person had a turn to entertain by singing a favorite tune. Before the party ended, and in keeping with another Hogmanay tradition, the adults and children stood in a circle crisscrossing hands, right over left, and sang the famous Scottish song, "Auld Lang Syne." June was bewildered as the adults' laughing voices changed to sad tones. Some of the women cried openly as they sang together, "Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and the days of auld lang syne!"

[1] Pram – Short for Perambulator; a large, ornate baby carriage.

For more excerpts Wicked Behavior at Holy Savior and Eureka! San Francisco please go to www.juneahern.com