The Clavie is dated back to pre-Christian times and is held in the highest regard by the people of Burghead, more than Xmas and January 1st itself. A position in the Clavie crew (the organisers) is hereditary, and has been handed down from father to son for many generations. (I wonder if any women have ever wanted to take part?) A barrel is halved and filled with tar and faggots, mounted on a pole and carried round the streets of the town, with burning bits of wood tossed into doorways where they are snapped up by the joyous householders and preserved to bring good fortune throughout the year. They used to take the clavie round ships in the harbour, but after a few accidents this practice ceased. The clavie is finally mounted in a special pillar on a mound within the Pictish fort, where it burns itself out. Similar ceremonies used to occur at other Moray fishing villages, including Findhorn and Lossiemouth, but this was stamped out by the church in the 17th century. Burghead didn't have a church until the mid-19th century, so it survived there.

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