Scottish Highland Christmas Traditions and Holiday food.

[CollinMacD]

As I continue to learn more about my Scottish roots in the Highlands, I was wondering how the Scottish celebrate Christmas Eve, Day and the New Year. I would also like to know if they took the holiday traditions to the New World, like Nova Scotia when the left Scotland. I am sure drink was a big part of this, but I am more interested in what a Scottish Highland Christmas was like, both today and in the 18th through the 19th Century. Did they have the tradition of the Christmas tree? Did they have a Father Christmas like the British? What did the eat for a feast? What was Scottish Tradition. I know that my Father told me they put wool stocking up on their bedpost, and got peppermint and fruit hard candy, oranges, apples and few other sweets. Interesting was they put it on their bedposts.

Would love to know????

[Jock Scot]

Don't forget that the Scots have been British for quite some time!

As I grew up in WW2 and the general shortages that went on well into the 1950's, Christmas was indeed a wool sock--kilt hose perhaps placed at the end of the bed. An orange and a few nuts and maybe a wee toy if we were lucky and we were the lucky ones! In those days it was more of a social event for us, as was New Year.

After the war, depending on where we were, Boxing day was and still is the main event for us. In England the traditional Boxing Day meet of the local fox hounds met on the lawn and if we were in Scotland we had the traditional Boxing Day shoot. As I grew, assorted bits of fishing tackle appeared at Christmas as did air rifles and later shot guns, cartridge bags, gun sleeves, riding boots, saddles, etc..

Again New Year just seemed to be an occasional "Big Bash" but usually just a fairly liquid family and friends gathering. Nothing seems to have changed that much for us I think. We do tend to remember, even today, those past with fond and humorous memories at these times too.

Whilst Christmas is historically and even to this day, not a big deal for Jock and his family, the one tradition that we do continue is that we always lay an extra place at the table for "absent friends". Quite often someone appears out of the blue and joins in with the family for Christmas luncheon.

Hope this helps.

[The Q]

The Christmas tree was not really adopted until Prince Albert 1819-1861 introduced them to Queen Victoria's celebrations. Then only by the rich, the majority pre 1960s did not have a tree.

When I lived in the Hebrides 1970s and my mother held a Christmas party for the brownies, some parents would not allow their children to attend as it was a heathen celebration.

Christmas was often a normal working day only becoming just celebrated at the time of Dickens 1812-1870 and he was writing from the point of view of a wealthy man in the biggest city in the world. In the majority of Britain including Scotland the majority of people could not afford to "celebrate" Christmas until well into the 20th Century.
Christmas only became a public holiday in Scotland in 1958.

Traditionally little notice of Christmas was taken by the Church of Scotland and definately not by the Free Church of Scotland.

Your vision of Christmas is sadly post WW2 for most people (WW2 rationing finally ended 1954), even as a child in the 1960s a sock may contain an orange and a few sweets. Then I might receive one or two presents.

Father Christmas as seen today, is really fairly modern for most and would have had little place in a God fearing house ( the majority) back in the days you are referring to.

[neloon]

As I continue to learn more about my Scottish roots in the Highlands, I was wondering how the Scottish celebrate Christmas Eve, Day and the New Year. I would also like to know if they took the holiday traditions to the New World, like Nova Scotia when the left Scotland. I am sure drink was a big part of this, but I am more interested in what a Scottish Highland Christmas was like, both today and in the 18th through the 19th Century. Did they have the tradition of the Christmas tree? Did they have a Father Christmas like the British? What did the eat for a feast? What was Scottish Tradition. I know that my Father told me they put wool stocking up on their bedpost, and got peppermint and fruit hard candy, oranges, apples and few other sweets. Interesting was they put it on their bedposts.

Would love to know????

You need to remember that Presbyterian Scotland regarded Christ Mass as a Roman Catholic festival of no relevance. (The Puritans in England even abolished Christmas during their "reign".) So, in my young day in the 40s/50s, most people worked on Christmas day as usual. The modern version of Father Christmas came in the late 19th century and the idea of Christmas trees had come from Germany with Prince Albert. New Year has always been a bigger thing in Scotland and, in the Highlands, can be celebrated again on January 12th in recognition of the change to the Gregorian calendar!
I'm interested in the stocking hanging - where else but on the end of the bed??
Alan

[davidlpope]

You need to remember that Presbyterian Scotland regarded Christ Mass as a Roman Catholic festival of no relevance. (The Puritans in England even abolished Christmas during their "reign".) So, in my young day in the 40s/50s, most people worked on Christmas day as usual. The modern version of Father Christmas came in the late 19th century and the idea of Christmas trees had come from Germany with Prince Albert. New Year has always been a bigger thing in Scotland and, in the Highlands, can be celebrated again on January 12th in recognition of the change to the Gregorian calendar!
I'm interested in the stocking hanging - where else but on the end of the bed??
Alan

Many of these Presbyterian traditions carried over into the colonies. For example, an Anglican priest writing before the American Revolution in his diary describes how the Scotch-Irish here in the Mecklenburg region held their militia drill on Christmas Day as a deliberate poke at his Christmas sensibilities. At least as late as 1899 the southern Presbyterian Church explicitly denounced Christmas as a popish invention.

[CollinMacD]

Thank you all for your information and I hope you can provide more, especially about Scotland. I finished a paper that I will post below about Roman Catholic Scottish in Antigonish County Nova Scotia and how Christmas was celebrated in the very late 18th through the 19th Century. Much of this was recollection from my Grandfather who was born and brought up in St. Andrews, Antigonish County, NS. He was born in 1882, and much of what he told me he got from his father and grandfather. Much of my other information is taken from various sources from the History of Antigonish, to papers at St. Francis Xavier College. I hope you enjoy what I wrote.... But my point is to see if the traditions celebrated in Antigonish, originated from Catholics in the Highlands of Scotland. I want to make this perfectly clear, my Grandfather, and most of the people in Antigonish are Roman Catholic, this entire story is written from the perspective of the Scottish Roman Catholic Communities of Nova Scotia.

Here is my paper.....


My Grandfather and Grandmother, Allan Collin & Mary Elizabeth (Chisholm) MacDonald Senior, were both born and raised on farms in Antigonish County, Nova Scotia. Our family are the MacDonald (MacBrides) from St. Andrew, Antigonish, Nova Scotia. Before I explain the Scottish Pioneer Christmas, it would be beneficial to understand the background of the settlement of Nova Scotia, especially Antigonish, where a majority of the Scottish settled during the Scotland Highland Clearances. Antigonish is a county located in heart of Nova Scotia, rich in Gaelic history nestled in the north eastern part of the province, which was settled by the Scottish in the late 18th century.

Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Ottawa are where a majority of the Scottish exiles settled during the “Great Scottish Highland Clearances”, following the Jacobite uprising of 1745-46. Arriving in the new world with little to no personal possessions, it would be survival for the first few years, and the holiday season’s needed to wait until basic living conditions were established. The clans now depended more upon each other than ever. Because the Antigonish landscape mimics the Scottis Highlands, the newly arrived Scots were able to quickly adapt to their new environment. However, there were still many obstacles and challenges that caused hardships, and extraneous hard work. With little more then axes, hoes, and shovels, the Scots needed to cultivate this primitive land, of large pine, oak, maple, birch and beech trees, with thick under-brush, and rocky fields into livable, and productive land to survive. Not until the trees were fell, the land cleared, and the fields plowed, and the cabins built, crops planted and then harvested, the newly arrived Scottish could not rest. The first years were one of strenuous never ending work, hunger, and family sacrifice.

Both sides of my family were these people, as they were Jacobites exiled from their home in Knoydart, Scotland, now they are the “Pioneers” of Antigonish, Nova Scotia. My Grandfather MacDonald’s ancestors settled in Antigonish in the 1790’s, Maryadole, then part of the original settlement of St. Andrews. My Grandmother’s family, the Chisholm’s, left arrived little later during the early 19th century, settling East River, and Ohio Crossroads. They went through all of these hardships. Knowing this, you will have a better understanding of why the Christmas of the Pioneers was so different.

So what was Christmas actually like in Nova Scotia during the pioneer period?
My Grandfather, Father, Aunts, and Uncle, talked about our pioneer ancestors, with all their trials, hardships, and their good times. All of this was passed down through the family generations. As a young boy, I remember, as Christmas approached, my Grandfather would reminisce about our ancestors, the Pioneers of Antigonish, and how they celebrated their own Christmas Traditions.

My Grandfather described the Christmas of our forefathers, as the “grand season of the year”. He told me in the very early years of settlement of St. Andrews, Nova Scotia, his father told him, that our forefathers had to survive by putting in long days on the fields.

Those long days paid off, in only a few years the newly arrived Scottish had plentiful harvests and through their hard work became more prosperous as each year future year passed. Once the harvest was finished and the days of winter were dark and short, and nights were long and cold. Everybody knew it was a time to remember the Holiday Season. The Scottish revived the Christmas season, shortly after their arrival. The season calibrations started the on Christmas Day, December 25th and continued through January 6th. This was the traditional Scottish “Old Christmas” or as the English called it the “Twelve Days of Christmas”. Christmas Day, was the day of worship, and the family feast, the rest of the day was a community celebrations originating from old Scottish traditions.

What did Christmas look like in the Pioneer Days? Well, the pioneers were surviving in a new land, first few years Christmas Day was observed but not celebrating. Scottish populous went to Catholic Services, and little to no celebrations, as survival was the primary concern. When they arrived trees, and forest surrounded them. Much work was needed, they were expelled from Scotland with little to now possessions. So resources were limited.

What was explained to me was instead of what we know as the commercial decorations of Christmas. There were no Santas, Candy Canes, ornaments or “Elf on the Shelf” and during this time gifts were never exchanged. Christmas trees were established, but not in Nova Scotia until the 19th century when they came up from Pennsylvania. Space in the cabins were limited, and did not lend itself to have a tree in the house. Isn’t it ironic that today, Nova Scotia exports more Christmas Trees to the United States than any other country. Father Christmas existed, but considered too British, it was ignored, until much later when the American version of Santa was excepted during the 1860’s. Children set their stocking out for the Christmas Spirit. My only guess since they did not want to refer to Father Christmas, a spirit was a good substitute.

The Pioneers of Antigonish took a much more holistic and simplistic approach. Yes, they did have decorations. Using local evergreen’s, berries, feathers, and twigs they were fashion into primitive wreaths, garnished with feathers and berries, often displayed above the fireplace, wall, or on the door. Many more candles were used to illuminate the interior of the house. While in some houses, the Roman Catholic tradition of the Advent Wreath was prominently set in the middle of the table as a centerpiece, with the four light candles, each candle represents the three Sundays before Christmas, so one candle per Sunday was light, the four candle was light on Christmas Day. Another Scottish tradition that was kept was, harvesting the Yule Log. This was done several weeks before Christmas, so the log could cure and be ready for the Christmas Day fire. Children were often tasked with the gathering of the Yule Time Log.

What was Christmas Eve like? There was no Christmas Eve, less for the larger cities far away from Antigonish that had mid-night Mass. Christmas Eve was used to bake, cook, roast, clean, and make the house ready for Christmas Day. The Children hanged wool stockinga on the bedposts or fireplace mantel. If the harvest was plentiful and the children well behaved, stockings would contain presents of apples, oranges, or even the rare banana, with some sweets, usually home made peppermint or fruit flavored hard candies and a handmade gingerbread man.

How was Christmas Day celebrated? Christmas Day was the first day of the Old Christmas, and the day reserved for family unity. Christmas morning started with the family rising up bright and early, dressing in their finest and warmest clothing. Then proceeding to the local church for Christmas Mass, (on or about 9:00 AM). Because of the extreme primitive environment only footpaths were used, no horses, carriages or other means of transportation were used at the time. Only horses and carriages were found closer to the larger settlements but not out in the Antigonish farmlands.

Often a family would walk miles through woodland footpaths, to reach the closet neighbor three miles or so away. So on Christmas, families would gather to walk miles to the nearest Catholic Church to attend Christmas Mass. Once Mass ended families made their way back to their houses, in great anticipation for the season’s celebrations, but for now the focus was on the family’s Christmas Day.

Often the family festivities began in the afternoon. Preparation of the feast was done several days in advance. Not only was food prepared for the family but for the festivities of the neighbors. But for now, it was the family’s own celebration, for which they all gathered around the table for their feast. Usually consisting of foods grow or produces on the farm, such as: Scottish leek or potato soup, roast of pork, wild turkey, goose, lobster, trout and other fish garnished with roasted potatoes, green beans, turnips, apple sauces, bread, butter, Forfar Bridies (lamb pastries), Scotch eggs, and form of the Cloutie Dumpling (also called the Nae Cloot) made from flour, sugar and blueberries, and other local berries, local spices, in either a a honey or maple syrup hot sauce and of course shortbread. Plum Pudding, Mincemeat pie, and other deserts joined the local dishes later as more trading posts were established so sugar and spices could be purchased. During the early yeas, Sugar was available, although scarce, butit would be saved for Christmas. If sugar was not available honey or maple syrup was used in its place.

Tea was considered a delicacy, served only on special occasions to the women. The men gathered in their own section for the special reserve of spirits that was kept for this occasion. It was shared among the men of the family as my Grandfather said, “wee bit of a dram “of whiskey or rum for the men, just enough to relieve the chill in the bones”. Although some men smoked pipes, tobacco was very rare and it was often mixed with dried hickory to make it last, very few actually smoked back them. Also as the area became more settled and commodities increased, many of the men were able to brew their own ale, and beer, became more common during the season.

One family lore that was passed down, was that very early on Christmas Day, the head of the household knew that even the beasts of burden should be blessed with something better then what was provided everyday. After all they beasts of burden kept the baby Jesus, warm, during his time in the stable. So the ox got a sheaf of wheat, cattle were treated to sheaves of oats, and so on through the barn and barn yards. It was passed down through our family that two brothers Allan and Archibald thought the hens should not be overlooked during Christmas Day, so they prepared a feed of oatmeal, soaked with a spoonful or two from a bottle of their special spirits. They noticed very quickly after the hens aggressively devoured the meal, a big commotion in the hen enclosure. Feathers were flying and hens diving at each other, with a lot of stumbling and rolling on the ground. As they tried to restore order, yelling at the top of their lungs until they became hoarse, trying to separate the hens, they found themselves in a helpless state. The incident caused many of a hearty laugh the next few nights of Christmas celebrations, as the exiled Celtics kept their humor with this story being passed on from generation-to-generation, referred to as the, “Great Hen Rebellion”.

Once the family Christmas Day celebrations concluded, preparations started immediately for the community celebration of Christmas. Starting on Christmas night, in each area of Antigonish, opened their homes were open to their neighbors. Each family had a selected night to open their homes to their neighbors during this Christmas period. Houses were filled to the capacity, with neighbors, family and friends, all celebrating the holiday. All dressed in their finest clothing, yes, kilts, and traditional Scottish clothing was seen, but not everybody had the traditional Scottish attire. Again this was considered a luxury to own such traditional dress, as most left Scotland with only their clothes on their backs, and Highland dress was banned by the British Government. Much of the Scottish attire was homespun, with limited amount of dyes from local vegetation. Some of the more affluent families managed to get dyes that were imported, and did have Scottish attire. However, most wore a small piece of plaid, to display pride of their family clan.

For the Community Celebration traditionally it was the man of the house who was the host, who welcomed his the neighbors and his guests into his home.

Each family would provide their guests with the finest foods and sweets, a Christmas milk punch, all of the finest quality, that family could afford to offer its guests. The Scottish hospitality, well known in the Highlands, was not lost in the new world, but thrived as families and clans became much closer, in order to survive in the wilderness.

The feast was set upon the finest of linens, or plaid blankets. It was the time to use the best ceramic, glassware, and tableware the family owned. Often used only for Christmas, Weddings, Baptisms, and Wakes, this was not your everyday ware. Each household prided itself on offering its neighbors the best in prepared food. This was called the, “Mac An Toiche”, or in translation, the son of the Scottish tradition ( the touch). After the feast, everybody would gather for the singing of the ”Duan Callain”, or tradition Scottish Christmas Carols, tell and listen of the tales from the old country of old folk Scottish lore, and many Scottish yarns (made-up stories), were the entertainment, under candle or oil light, with a Yule Log blazing in the fireplace. The evening concluded with the floor being cleared, as local musicians playing their pipes, and strings, would all engaged in dancing. This was repeated from neighbor-to-neighbor until the New Year Eve arrived. It was this sense of unity that only strengthened the Scottish exiles, making this a place where they wanted to be, allowing them a respite with the daily hardships and labors.

Although Christmas was a very special day, the New Year Day, was one celebration varied and was quite different. My Grandfather told me about this celebration, and when he was a boy in late 19th century, the celebration was abandoned and the tradition was merely talked about. During the Pioneer days the last night of the year, eve of December 31st, was called “Oidche ch’oinnie”, from what was told to me means the “Night of the Exiled”. My grandfather told me, this is the night that was saved being the last night of the year, it was dark and long, each house would display candles in all their windows, lighting the way for the new year, or the new beginning. At midnight when the new year arrived, family memebers would extinguish the candles in the windows. All the houses in the area was visited by men who carried wooden sticks or clubs, and would hit the outside walls of the house. The man of the house would say, “Gabh do duan” which loosely translates from the old Gaelic as “Accepting my Labor”. Outside of the house, the head man of the group hitting the outside of the house would repeat several versus of a traditional Scottish New Year Poem called “Duan Callain”. From my understanding this was a Poem about Scottish Clan unity. It ended with the request of the outsiders being allowed to enter the house for Scottish hospitality. The door opened, the outsiders were welcomed in, as they would celebrate with food and drink. If you house did not participate in this ceremony, it was considered to be a big insult.

On January 7th, the feasts and celebrations ended, and it was back to the labors of the farm, or where you worked. My family did celebrate a few of these traditions when I was younger: but as my Grandfather went to a nursing home, more of the American style Christmas influenced my family, and soon the Scottish Christmas traditions were forgotten, especially after my Grandfather passed away. By this time it was an American Christmas, void of all Scottish Traditions. I am so happy my Grandfather shared these traditions with our family: even though we only celebrated a few of these Scottish Traditions, my family talked about all of the traditions. So I still can recall all the stories, and it enabled me to write this article, relive the memories, and share them with you. As my Grandfather would say, “Nollaig Chridheil “.

[CollinMacD]

Don't forget that the Scots have been British for quite some time!

As I grew up in WW2 and the general shortages that went on well into the 1950's, Christmas was indeed a wool sock--kilt hose perhaps placed at the end of the bed. An orange and a few nuts and maybe a wee toy if we were lucky and we were the lucky ones! In those days it was more of a social event for us, as was New Year.

After the war, depending on where we were, Boxing day was and still is the main event for us. In England the traditional Boxing Day meet of the local fox hounds met on the lawn and if we were in Scotland we had the traditional Boxing Day shoot. As I grew, assorted bits of fishing tackle appeared at Christmas as did air rifles and later shot guns, cartridge bags, gun sleeves, riding boots, saddles, etc..

Again New Year just seemed to be an occasional "Big Bash" but usually just a fairly liquid family and friends gathering. Nothing seems to have changed that much for us I think. We do tend to remember, even today, those past with fond and humorous memories at these times too.

Whilst Christmas is historically and even to this day, not a big deal for Jock and his family, the one tradition that we do continue is that we always lay an extra place at the table for "absent friends". Quite often someone appears out of the blue and joins in with the family for Christmas luncheon.

Hope this helps.

This is very good information. My Mother is French Canadian, from Trio-Rivre, Quebec. The only thing I remember that side of the family doing was backing and eating a pork pie, or Boudan Noir, or Black Blood Sausage, with a healthy helping of backed beans. Scottish was always pork or seafood dishes. Again talking Scottish Canadian. I hope you can read my research paper, I am very interested with your perspective, and keeping it from the perspective of Roman Catholic Highlands redirected to Nova Scotia. Thanks so much, maybe one of these days we can meet. I hope to travel to Scotland in a couple of years and return to Knoydart, and Inverness where my family is from. Merry Christmas

[CollinMacD]

The Christmas tree was not really adopted until Prince Albert 1819-1861 introduced them to Queen Victoria's celebrations. Then only by the rich, the majority pre 1960s did not have a tree.

When I lived in the Hebrides 1970s and my mother held a Christmas party for the brownies, some parents would not allow their children to attend as it was a heathen celebration.

Christmas was often a normal working day only becoming just celebrated at the time of Dickens 1812-1870 and he was writing from the point of view of a wealthy man in the biggest city in the world. In the majority of Britain including Scotland the majority of people could not afford to "celebrate" Christmas until well into the 20th Century.
Christmas only became a public holiday in Scotland in 1958.

Traditionally little notice of Christmas was taken by the Church of Scotland and definately not by the Free Church of Scotland.

Your vision of Christmas is sadly post WW2 for most people (WW2 rationing finally ended 1954), even as a child in the 1960s a sock may contain an orange and a few sweets. Then I might receive one or two presents.

Father Christmas as seen today, is really fairly modern for most and would have had little place in a God fearing house ( the majority) back in the days you are referring to.

A lot of great information, my Grandfather never caught on to a Christmas Tree, although when settled in the U.S. and his children were all born in the U.S. he did have trees for them. I hope you can read my paper that I posted. I think it has some great info from the perspective of Roman Catholic Scottish....Merry Christmas

[CollinMacD]

You need to remember that Presbyterian Scotland regarded Christ Mass as a Roman Catholic festival of no relevance. (The Puritans in England even abolished Christmas during their "reign".) So, in my young day in the 40s/50s, most people worked on Christmas day as usual. The modern version of Father Christmas came in the late 19th century and the idea of Christmas trees had come from Germany with Prince Albert. New Year has always been a bigger thing in Scotland and, in the Highlands, can be celebrated again on January 12th in recognition of the change to the Gregorian calendar!
I'm interested in the stocking hanging - where else but on the end of the bed??
Alan

You hit the nail on the head with the Roman Catholic perspective. Christmas and Easter are the two bit Roman Catholic celebrations. If no bed pole, they would hang on the mantel of the fireplace, or place near the fireplace. In Nova Scotia, around the 1860's because Santa Claus gained popularity in the U.S., Canada start with Father Christmas, and then eventually went to Santa Claus. Christmas trees were really never popular in Scottish households, but the French and German immigrants did. For the Scottish it was much more a family then a community celebration, heavily centric to the Roman Catholic Church. Please read my paper, did so much work to get it right. Merry Christmas

[CollinMacD]

Many of these Presbyterian traditions carried over into the colonies. For example, an Anglican priest writing before the American Revolution in his diary describes how the Scotch-Irish here in the Mecklenburg region held their militia drill on Christmas Day as a deliberate poke at his Christmas sensibilities. At least as late as 1899 the southern Presbyterian Church explicitly denounced Christmas as a popish invention.

I grew up in New England, and many Scottish settled in Maine and New Hampshire, but again being of Roman Catholic religion, they celebrated Christmas. There is a lot of documentation on Colonial America in New England, and clearly shows Christmas was a very big day.

Regards and Merry Christmas, if you have time please read my paper, I think you will enjoy it.

Collin