12/31/2025
Day 12 of Yule: Happy Hogmanay!!!
Dec 31
Hogmanay is Scotland’s winter New Year festival that takes place on December 31. It’s a blend of older Celtic midwinter customs and later Scottish folk traditions. Its roots lie in year-end pagan rites of purification, order, fire, and good fortune with the intention to ensure a strong beginning to the new year.
The “First footing,” welcoming the first visitor of the new year, was believed to set the tone for the months ahead. And dark-haired guests carrying small gifts (salt, coal, whisky, shortbread) are considered especially auspicious. Homes were swept clean, the hearth was tended, debts were settled, and anything representing old resentment or disorder was cleared out. Fire ceremonies, the ringing of bells, and communal singing helped mark the transition from one cycle to the next.
This final day of Yule focuses on vision and preparation for the coming year. It’s a moment to reflect on what worked, what didn’t, and what you want to build next. It allows you to close out Yule and step into the new year with a sense of purpose.
Ritual Ideas for Hogmanay:
*Clean the hearth or a symbolic corner of your home.
*Sweep out the old year. Sweet the floors and deposit it in a bin outside.
*Clean the fireplace or stove. A tended hearth was seen as essential for inviting good luck.
*Settle debts or get your budget in order. In Scottish tradition, beginning the year owing money or unfinished obligations was considered unlucky.
*Put away any unfinished projects.
*Open the door for a few moments at midnight briefly to “let the old year out” and welcome the new one in.
*Sain the house by sprinkle consecrated water around the home and burn juniper briefly to fumigate the space. Then, open doors and windows to air it out.
*Write intentions for the coming year.
*Make a list of things you’re not taking into the new year.
*Burn a small slip of paper releasing something you’re ready to leave behind.
