Scotland's colourful and rich history has long had its very own set of Christmas traditions - even if it was banned circa 400 years ago!
Around the 1600s, the UK was ruled by Oliver Cromwell who banned Christmas (or “Christ’s Mass” as it was then). However, when he fell from power the ban lifted everywhere but in Scotland which was, in short, due to Presbyterianism.
Scots celebrating Christmas did so discreetly as the event, which was known as Yule in those days. It was stripped from the Calendar and harsh punishments awaited anyone taking part in the celebrations. For Scots, this time was reduced to little more than another work day until 1958 when Christmas Day was finally recognised as a public holiday once again.
Despite this gap in Scottish festivity the country still boasts a myriad of traditions as even prior to the Reformation, the Winter Solstice (i.e., Yule or “Yogh” in Older Scots) was celebrated by druids, pagans and vikings - ancestors who roamed Scotland long before us.
From why we hang mistletoe to the origins of Yule Bread, here are 12 old Christmas traditions and customs of Scotland.
9. Nordic Christmas - Decorating boar heads
The 12-day Yule celebration was celebrated by our Viking ancestors who settled in Scotland between the 8th and 15th centuries. This was in celebration of their God of Sunshine, Freyr, who rode across the sky on a golden bristled boar. In their Yule feasts they would decorate a boar head with laurel and rosemary and only the man with the highest reputation was allowed to do this. After the feast, a huge fire would be lit and the men would hold hands and circle around the fire exclaiming “Thor with us, Thor and Odin and Hale, Yule ha!” Photo: via WikiCommons
10. Strange festive beverages - Whipkull from Shetland
Scotland has a wealth of unique food and drink items traditional to the country at Christmas time. In Shetland, which is deeply influenced by its Scandinavian heritage, people enjoyed a drink known as Whipkull which was a drink of ancient lineage served at the end of a breakfast Yule feast. It was made of a dozen egg yolks, a pound of sugar, a half pint of rum and a quart of fresh cream with shortbread served on the side. Photo: Submitted
11. Burning a Rowan twig
A long-held tradition amongst Scottish families is burning a branch from a Rowan Tree during the festive season. They did this as it was said to clear away bad feelings, mistrust or jealousy between family and friends. Photo: ttretjak via Canva Pro