- What: A fire ritual and celebration - one of Scotland's oldest and strangest.
- When: 6 p.m., January 11, the old New Year, before the calendar was changed in 1660.
- Where: Burghead, a village near Elgin in Moray, northeast Scotland
- Admission: Free
- Website
A "heathenish" practice
Churchmen in the 18th century condemned the Scottish fire festival known as the burning of the clavie as "an abominable, heathenish practice" and tried to stamp it out. It is possible that before then, this strange fire festival was more widespread. But it clings on in Burghead - though no one knows when it began or what exactly it means.The clavie is a half barrel filled with wood shavings and tar. Some believe the word is a derivation of cliabh(clee-av), a Gaelic word for a wicker basket, creel or cage. Others say it comes from the Latin word clavus and is Roman in origin. But since no one is sure whether this event is Celtic, Pictish or Roman in origin, the origin of the word itself is a mystery.
An Annual Hogmanay Ritual
On the night, the clavie is nailed to a post - some say that the same nail is used, year after year. It is then carried to the home of one of the town's oldest residents, the Burghead Provost, who lights the clavie with peat from his own hearth. An elected Clavie King , along with several other men - usually fishermen - then carries the burning clavie clockwise around the town, stopping now and then to present smoldering embers to various householders.Finally, the clavie is carried up to an ancient alter in a stone fort on Doorie Hill. More fuel is added and eventually, the entire hillside blazes. Onlookers grab embers to light New Year's fires in their homes for luck.
Those who have witnessed the Burning of the Clavie say that the final blaze bears a spooky resemblance to the end of the cult film The Wicker Man. However, this being modern Scotland, a rousing good time is naturally had by all.
