Oidhche chullainn Challainn chruaidh Thàinig mise le m' dhuan gu taigh.

"On a cold frosty Night of the Callainn I came with my rhyme to a house."

It is only fitting to start the first column of the New Year with this snippet from a Hogmanay rhyme, or Duan na Callainn. Although we touched on the Gaelic traditions surrounding Oidhche Challainn -- New Year's Eve -- in the last column, I'd like to revisit the subject, and broaden our review a bit.

First, why is New Year's Eve called Oidhche Challainn rather than something like Oidhche a' Bhliadhn' Ùire, which would mean Eve of the New Year? It's because of the Latin roots of the word Callainn (sometimes spelt Calluinn). Callainn is derived from Kalandae, which also gives us the English Calends and Calendar.

The Gaelic world for Christmas, Nollaig, is also Latin in origin, being derived from Natalica -- the Nativity. The Welsh word Nadolig has the same root. The Gaelic Nollaig Chridheil, then, isn't so far removed from Feliz Navidad!

New Year's Eve, or Hogmanay, has always been a time of special celebration in Scotland -- more popular as a holiday, perhaps, than Christmas. It's interesting to note that Jan. 1 was only officially fixed as the New Year in Scotland in 1600 - 152 years before it was accepted in England. But the celebration of Oidhche Challainn certainly goes back much, much further.

The most striking aspect of Gaelic Scotland's New Year tradition was the visit of the Gillean Calluinne, the Hogmanay Lads. These lads would disguise themselves in old clothing or, in earlier days, cow hides, and visit nearby homes. The following description of "the revelry of the New Year" is from John Gregorson Campbell, author of "Witchcraft and Second Sight in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland," published in 1902.

"Towards evening men began to gather and boys ran about shouting and laughing, playing shinty, and rolling large snowballs. The hide of a winter cow was wrapped round the head of one of the men, and he made off, followed by the rest, belabouring the hide, which made a noise like a drum, with switches. The disorderly procession went three times, according to the course of the sun, round each house in the village, striking the walls and shouting on coming to a door:

The New Year of the yellow bag of hide,
Strike the skin (upon the wall),
An old wife in the graveyard,
An old wife in the corner;
Another old wife beside the fire,
A pointed stick in her two eyes,
A pointed stick in her stomach.
Let me in, open this.

"Before this request was complied with, each of the revelers had to repeat a rhyme ... On entering, each of the party was offered refreshments, oatmeal, bread, cheese, flesh, and a dram of whisky. Their leader gave to the good man of the house that indispensable adjunct of the evenings mummeries, the breast-stripe of a sheep wrapped around the point of a shinty stick. This was then singed in the fire, put three times with the right-hand turn round the family, and held to the noses of all. Not a drop of drink was given till this ceremony was performed."

Variants of this remarkable ceremony were performed throughout Gaelic Scotland and in Cape Breton and Newfoundland for generations, though the rhyme quoted by Campbell is more bloodthirsty than most I have seen in print. The singed sheep skin obviously offered some type of magical protection from harm to the family. The sheep skin is mentioned in another Callainn rhyme, translated below.

Craicionn Calluinn 'na mo phòcaid, 'S math an ceò a thig bho'n fhear ud. Chan eil duine chuireas r' a shròin e Nach bi e ri bheò dheth fallain.	The Calluinn skin is in my pocket, Good the smoke that comes from that. There's not a man who would put it to his nose That wouldn't be altogether healthy.
Gheibh fear an tighe 'na làimh e Gus a cheann a chur 's an teallach. Théid e deiseil air na pàisdean, Ach gu h-àraid, gheibh a' bhean e.	The man of the house will take in his hand To put its head in the hearth. It will go sunwise round the children, But especially, the woman will get it.

The woman of the house is often depicted as the distributor of drink and hospitality on Oidhche Challainn. An old song called "A' Challainn" describes a Highland hostess:

"Gur mise thug mo ghràdh do mhnaoi an taobh bhàin, Bha botul 'na làmh 's ag òl oirnn."	I gave my love to the lady of fair aspect (skin), There was a bottle in her hand and she drank to us.
Ùrlar math, réidh, bean-tighe 'g a réir, 'S cha '¹eagal dhuinn fhéin nach òlamaid.	A good, smooth dancing floor, the hostess in good spirits We had no fear that we would not drink.

A version of this song, which is believed to date back to the days of the Napoleonic wars, can be heard on the "Nollaig Chridheil" CD from B&R Enterprises in Iona, Cape Breton.

Almost all the Callainn rhymes ended in a variant of the following plea:

"Fosgail an dorus 's leig a-staigh sinn!"

Open the door and let us in!

It's interesting to note that these Callainn traditions are unique to Gaelic Scotland -- they don't exist in Ireland or on the Isle of Man. However, similar poems were recited on the Isle of Man at Christmas and in Ireland at Halloween. As Halloween was the original Celtic "New Year," it may be that some traditions were transferred from Oct. 31 to Dec. 31 as the Roman calendar gained influence.

One Irish New Year's tradition worth noting -- the banishing of hunger from the house. Oidhche Challainn in Ireland was known as Oíche na Coda Móire, or the Night of the Big Portions. The belief was that if you ate a big meal on New Year's Eve, you would ensure plenty in the coming year. In addition, there was a rhyme to drive hunger away -- straight to the other edge of Europe.

Fógramaid an Ghorta Amach go tír na d-Turcach; Ó nocht go bliadhain ó nocht, Agus ó nocht féin amach.

"We warn the Hunger To clear off to the country of the Turks; From tonight until a year from tonight, And from this very night."

As we agree with the basic sentiment, but have no ill-will towards the Turks, we will conclude with this personal wish in Scottish Gaelic:

Bliadhna Mhath Ùr, a chàirdean, bho Astràilia gu tìr nan Turcach. Gu ma fada beò sibh, is ceò às ur taigh!

A good New Year, friends, from Australia to the land of the Turks. May you live long, and smoke rise from your house (chimney)!

You can find more articles in the archive under Fada 's Farsaing (Far and Wide)

If you would like to talk to Liam you can email him.

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