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