Scotland: Customs and Tradition.

            Scotland is distinguished for many ancient traditions and customs about thousand years that have persist for centuries in this modern society, particularly in the Scottish life. Some typical customs are about the lucky, fertility, land and eternal cheerfulness.  Although many remain common customs today, here are little pieces of wonderful traditions, some that haven’t been remembered, and other ones that remain popular in many territories across this beautiful country today.

 Some Scottish customs and traditions are really important to know for example one of them is “Feet Washing”; this is used before the wedding, when a tub of water is placed in the best room or main room of the house in which the bride places her feet. The wife has female friend, these people gather around to wash them. A wedding ring from a happily married woman is placed in the tub and it’s believed that whoever finds the ring will be the next to get married. The main room or the best room is made to sit by the tub where the wife legs are painted with soot, ashes and cinders. This kind of tradition is still used by some places of Scotland.

           

            You can find others popular custom in Scotland, which is carried out even today, this custom is called “Blackening”. The couple are kidnapped by own friends one night before the celebration about wedding and then plumes and smoke cover in around the village like ceremony.

            This was a specially tradition in Scotland, it was the “Creeling of the Bridegroom”, in this Scottish celebration, the people puts into a big basket some stones and tied to the grooms back. The husband was forced to move the big basket with stones around the complete town and wasn’t until his bride agreed to kiss him when their friends would allow the “Creeling” to the end.

            Recently this celebration wasn’t celebrated in the Scottish nation. This celebration is called Christmas because it was against the culture tradition of Scotland; I mean the religion of this country.

            Scottish calendar has an important celebration; it is called Hogmanay, this custom refers to the “new year’s eve” when people in Scotland prefer this celebration before to celebrate the Christmas. The origins of this celebration is not clear and specially the name of this custom, some people say it is the celebration of winter solstice among the Nords and another say it is part of a celebration from Gaelic people. Before to celebrate it, you need prepare some things like cleaning the house (the night before to 1^st January), Getting rid of debt, Torch and Bonfire Ceremonies, etc.

 

            For Scottish life, the food is really important in many Ceremonial Occasions for example: Christmas, New Year and wedding, all of these traditions are represented with one symbol, it is the whiskey.

            On 30th November in Scotland women celebrates St. Andrew's Day, where a young woman pray to St. Andrew for a husband and then make a wish and look for a sign that they thirst and prayers were heard. One of the most important traditions of this celebration is the sign of peeling an entire apple without breaking the peel.

            The customs and tradition form an important function in their lives, for example every Scottish thinks about many celebration and they prepared previously the celebrates day. People are very careful with all things about these since when Scotland rose as nation to now.

References:

Tourism web site, consulted (October 17^th), Available in: http://www.scotlands-enchanting-kingdom.com/scottish-customs-and-traditions.html

Tourism web site, consulted (October 17^th), Available in: http://www.scotland.org/about-scotland/scottish-culture-and-traditions

Tourism web site, consulted (October 19^th), Available in: http://www.everyculture.com/Sa-Th/Scotland.html

Tourism web site, consulted (October 19^th), Available in: http://freewebs.com/clanswoman/birth.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

Myths and Legends

One of the fascinating facts at the time of entering into a culture , whatever , is discovered through mythology formed as this , following points in common with other cultures , but finding characteristics of the country in question, to begin we must ask ourselves , how this culture was formed ? Answering this question will reach deep mythological aspects very stored in the roots of this mystical land, so legendary aspects of life and work of the main national hero Sir William Wallace and his transcendence through space-time Scottish.

Referring mythological aspects about other cultures we can find similarities in their cosmological beliefs that give rise to special creatures which are credited as gods, demi-gods or descendants of other dimensions, Scotland is no exception, with a Celtic influence and Gaelic in certain respects. While there is no conclusive written about Celtic mythology and even more with the invasion of Rome to territories with which shared a polytheistic belief one might tend to confuse throughout history. The curious thing about all this is that the Celtic mythology presents much more than the Roman deities, considered as the main goddess of fertility Andarta strength is kept alive in the unconscious of humanity to this day, it represents the archetypal figure of the protective and caring mother yet invincible warrior, Curoi Mac Daire sun god was a giant, armed with an ax. He was also a god of time, associated with strong storms, Erce Goddess mother goddess of the harvest. These beings are often repeated in Irish mythology because of its close relationship to share in the same island with four different nations Wales and England. These are usually one of the main concepts regarding Scottish mythology and cosmogony. Other famous and important character in the mythology in Scotland is the large dinosaur like creature is reputed to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands.  

Known as the guardian of Scotland, Sir William Wallace, the presence of this character in the idiosyncrasy of the people take a very important place, because he was fighting against the wealth and tyranny of English kings and he refused the idea of condemn his nation than he love with a passion disproportionate, the main reason because Wallace became one of the stronger leadership around the world, give to the world history a great hero than his legacy break the barriers of time and space. The struggle for the independence of Scotland in the hands of William Wallace and sense to strengthen and change to a diminished army and defeated. Thinking that leadership is something that only few can master so perfectly as this hero, considering the difficulties of the time in which this important heroic deed, is worthy of respect, admiration and reverence, and the Scots know very well reflect the importance of their national heroes, installing a giant monument which is very popular as a place of ritual to reflect the life and work of who is considered the brave heart of Scotland, although he paid tribute hollywood famous movie with Mel Gibson, popularizing the image even more Wallace , but if we want to focus on discovering the real story, we must move away from cinematographic film and focus on the family history and the brief written documents of antiquity, or simply ask a Scottish which is the feelings than emerged from his emotionality perspective. After all the most sincere element of knowledge is the heart, without a doubt the Scots have that in a considerable quantity, one of the most important legacies of Wallace.