Mrs Hudson says… Wishing you all a happy New Year

Every month, Mrs Hudson along with her three children and Dinky the Irish Wolfhound investigate the best family and dog friendly heritage attractions that the UK has to offer.

Well, what a year it’s been!
Here at Hudson HQ, we can honestly say that we had a lovely Christmas with the family, not even Dinky running off with a plate full of pigs in blankets could dampen our spirits! What was even better was that Mr Hudson and I got to spend our New Year in Scotland without the children for a traditional Hogmanay experience!

It’s something we’ve done before and honestly, no one does New Year like the Scottish! We decided, having spent our last one in Edinburgh, we would head a bit further North to see how it is really done. The pair of us made our way to the pretty coastal town of Stonehaven, which isn’t far from Aberdeen, partly because we’ve never been but mostly so we could experience their famous Fireball Ceremony.

The Fireball Ceremony is unique to Stonehaven and takes place on Hogmanay every year. Similar things take place on Hogmanay elsewhere in Scotland, but no one else does it quite like the residents of Stonehaven. Having not been before, we weren’t quite sure what to expect but it was nothing short of spectacular! Just before the clock struck midnight, a piper started up, followed by the procession of fireballs leading own to the harbour. The fireballs are, as they sound, balls of fire that are wielded by those in the procession who perform some incredible displays with these balls of fire, swinging them around everywhere without a single person getting burned! It was honestly an amazing way to see in the New Year!

Despite how incredibly popular this tradition is, no one is really sure how the tradition got started. I did learn from talking to some of the locals that this particular celebration dates back hundred of years and that it is based in the old fire processions that took place when Paganism was the main religion in the region. Back then, fire was used as a way to ward off evil spirits, which seems fitting as we’re coming into the New Year and we all want good things for the coming months! Whatever the reason, we’re thoroughly enjoyed it!

Watching the fire swinging wasn’t the only way we celebrate Hogmanay, I mean, when in Scotland, you have to do it properly!  Of course we joined in with a few renditions of Auld Lang Syne and drank more than a few drams of the very best Scottish whiskey before heading back to our digs in the early hours of the morning. It is going to take a lot to top this New Year celebration!

We hope you had a great Christmas season, however you celebrate and we wish you a happy New Year!