Fèilltean-teine na Bliadhn’ Ùire agus na Seann Bhliadhn’ Ùire

Tha mi a’ sgrìobhadh am pìos seo air an dàrna latha dheug den Fhaoilteach, latha na Seann Bhliadhn’ Ùire. Ron acharradh air a’ mhìosachan Ghregòrianach ann an 1752, seo an latha air an deach a’ Bhliadhna’ Ùr a chumail. Air a’ Ghàidhealtachd ghlèidh iomadh àite an t-Seann Bliadhn’ Ùr fad ceud bliadhna is barrachd às dèidh sin, clachan cròitearachd Blàr mac Faoilteach ann an Loch Abar fiù ‘s gus na 1950an. Ach cha mhòr nach deach a dìochuimhneachadh tro na bliadhnachean, ach a-mhàin anns na coimhearsneachdan a tha ga comharradh le tachartasan traidiseanta sònraichte a tha bèo slàn fhathast , mar am Broch leis an fhèill-teine ainmeil aige ‘Losgadh a’ Chlèibh’ air an 11 den Fhaoilteach, Oidhche Chaillain den t-seann mhìosachan.

Tha cuid de chleachdaidhean traidiseanta Oidhche Chaillain agus na Bliadhn’ Ùire fhèin beò gu leòr a dh’aindeoin sin, oir ghluais iad dìreach gun 31 den Dùbhlachd bhon t-Seann Bhliadhn’ Ùr, no fiù ‘s bhon t-Samhain, latha mu dheireadh den bhliadhna Cheilteich (air am bi sinn a’ comharrachadh Oidhche Shamhna fhathast). Agus chan e am Broch a’ mhain aig a bheil fèilltean-teine –  tha Cala na Creige glè ainmeal cuideachd airson a chaismeachd leis na buill loisgeach laidir a bhios iad a’ sadail mun timcheall agus a thèid an tilgeil a-steach dhan chaladh aig a’ cheann thall.

Ann an clachan Chomraidh, Siorrachd Pheairt, tha tachartas eile a tha coltach ri sin. Chan e buill a tha aca, ach ‘flambeaux’, seòrsa lòchranan mòra fada a bhios iad a’ bogadh ann am paireafain fad sheachdainean agus an uairsin a’ losgadh agus a’ gìulan tro na sràidean. Mar anns a’ Bhroch, cleachdar na flambeaux gus tein-aighir mòr a losgadh ann am meadhan a’ bhaile, agus mar ann an Cala na Creige, tilgar am fuidhleach de na flambeaux dhan abhainn.

Tha agus bha tachartasan-teine gheamhraidh eile an leithid ann, m.e. ann am Footdee (‘Fittie’) ann an Obar Dheathain, far an deach seann bhàtaichean-iasgaich a losgadh air an 11 den Fhaoilteach, agus Up Helly Aa ann an Sealtainn aig deireadh an Fhaoilteach.  Chan eil fhios co às a tha na cleachdaidhean sin bho thùs, ged a tha freumhan Ceilteach agus Lochlannach ann gu cinnteach, ach tha e glè choltach gun robh na daoine a’ creidsinn gur e neart-glanaidh a bh’ anns an teine, agus leis a bhith a’ tilgeil na fuidhlich den bhuill-teine no nam flambeaux dhan mhuir no dhan abhainn, an dà chuid nan sruthadh-uigse, bha iad a’ bàthadh na spioradan olc na bhliadhna a dh’ fhalbh.

Aig ìre nach eil cho os-nàdarrach, ‘s urrainn dhuinn tuigsinn glè mhath gun robh teintean-coimhearsneachd mar sin – fad nan linntean gun dealan – uabhasach cudromach agus tlachdmhor do na daoine a bha sgapte air fead na dùthcha, is iad a’ toirt an cothrom dhaibh a bhith a’ tighinn còmhla ri chèile airson chuirmean agus fhèistean, ann am meadhan a’ gheamhraidh fhada fhuair a bha fada na bu dorcha  na na geamhraidhean an latha an-diugh leis na solasan-dealain a tha againn anns gach àite.

Agus tha e coltach gu bheil an t-Seann Bhlìadhn’ Ùr a’ tighinn air ais gu ìre, airson fhèisean sònraichte co-dhiù. Nuair a bha ‘Bliadhna Cultar na Gàidhealtachd 2007’ ann, thòsich i air an 12 den Faoillteach 2007 agus thàinig i gu crìoch air an 11 den Fhaoilteach 2008 le fèill ‘Solais na Gàidhealtachd’ ann an Inbhir Nis, le ceòl is solasan is cleasan-teine uabhasach drùidhteach air Drochaid Cheasaig.

Tha e inntinneach gu leòr gum bi teintean-geamhraidh agus cleasan-teine na Bhliadhn’ Ùire a’ fas nas cumanta a-rithist a-nis, bho Mhachair Rois fhèin gu Dùn Èideann. ‘S dòcha nach bi sinn riaraichte tuilleadh leis a bhith a’ coimhead air na solasan is cleasan-teine air an telebhisean nar n-aonar. Gu trice tha na coimhearsneachdan is càirdean againn sgapte fad is farsaing a-rithist, mar a bha iad ro linntean, air adhbharan eile a-nis – obair, colaiste etc, agus chan eil sinn cho eòlach air nar nàbaidhean ‘s a bha sinn, leis na dòighean-beatha neo-eisimeileach a th’ againn an latha an-diugh. Mar sin tha e nàdarrach a-rithist gu bheil miann againn a bhith còmhla ri chèile timcheall air teine mòr, leis a’ bhlàths is an deagh shunnd a th’ ann, a’ coimhead air solas nan lasraichean (no nan cleasan-teine co-dhiù)  a’ soillseachadh duibhre speuran geamhraidh, is a’ toirt dòchas dhuinn airson na bliadhna ri teachd.

Fire Festivals of the New Year and the Old New Year

 I’m writing this on the 12th of January, the ‘Old’ New Year’s Day from the time before we changed to the Gregorian calendar in 1752. Many places in the Highlands continued to keep this date for the New Year for a hundred years or more, the crofting village of Blarmacfoldach in Lochaber up to the 1950s. But it’s almost been forgotten over the years, except in communities which mark it with special traditional events which have lived on, like the Burning of the Clavie in Burghead on 11th January, the Old Hogmanay.

 There are many Hogmanay traditions still alive today nevertheless, as they simply moved to 31st December from the Old New Year, or even from Samhain, the last day of the old Celtic year (on which we still celebrate Halloween). And it’s not only Burghead that has a fire ceremony – Stonehaven too is famous for its parade with local men swinging fireballs around them before they are finally thrown into the harbour.

 In the village of Comrie in Perthshire there’s another similar event. They have ‘flambeaux’, not fireballs, very long flaming torches which are soaked in paraffin for weeks and then lit and paraded through the streets. As in Burghead, they use the flambeaux to light a community bonfire in the cente of the town, and then, similarly to Stonehaven, the remains of the flambeaux are plunged into the river.

 There are and were other similar winter fire-festivals, for example in Footdee (‘Fittie’), Aberdeen, where old fishing-boats were burned on 11th January , and Up Helly Aa in Shetland at the end of January. It’s not known exactly where these customs originate, though there are certainly Celtic and Viking roots, but it’s likely that people believed that the fire was a cleansing power, and that by throwing the embers of the fireballs or the flambeaux into the sea or a river, both running water, they were drowning the evil spirits of the old year.

 On a less supernatural level, we can well understand that community fires like that – all through the centuries without electricity – were extremely important and attractive to people scattered over the countryside, giving them an opportunity to come together for festivities and feasts in the middle of the long, cold winter which was so much darker than we can imagine today with our electric lights everywhere.

 And it seems that the Old New Year is making a comeback to some extent, for special occasions anyway.  When we had the ‘Year of Highland Culture’ in 2007, it began on 12th January 2007 and ended on 11th January 2008 with the the festival ‘Highland Lights’ in Inverness, with music, lights and very impressive fireworks on the Kessock Bridge.

 It’s very interesting that winter fire-festivals and New Year fireworks are becoming more common again now, from the Seaboard itself to Edinburgh.  Maybe we’re no longer satisfied with just watching the lights and the fireworks on the TV on our own. Communites and families are once again scattered far and wide, as they were centuries ago, if for different reasons – work, college etc, and we no longer know our neighbours so well with the independent lifestyles we lead nowadays. Therefore it’s natural again to want to be together around a huge fire, with the warmth and good spirits it generates, watching the flames (or at least the fireworks) lighting up the gloom of the winter skies, and giving us hope for the year to come.

Photo credits (Creative Commons): Up Helly Aa, Clavie, Comrie – Anne Burgess;  Stonehaven – Mr Purple; Kessock – Alasdair Macdonald; Edinburgh – anon..

Seaboard bonfire: