Stormy Weather

[scottycelt]

Rain here today, tending to sleet and snow in higher areas, and strong winds to boot.

In answer to your holiday query, Anna, the answer lies, as it so often does, in religion. After the Reformation, the Presbyterians in Scotland declared Christmas to be "Popish", and banned its celebration. New Year perforce became the major Scottish celebration, and it was only in (I think) 1958 that Christmas Day in Scotland became a public holiday. Until then factories and other places of work were open, post was delivered, and newspapers were published. Holidays were of course fewer then, and even after 1958 some workers had to choose between Christmas or New Year as the one winter holiday, and New Year was almost always the chosen day. I started work in 1969, and I believe that was the first year that my company was closed on Christmas Day and New Year's Day. At that time NYD was the one day in Scotland when post was neither delivered nor collected. Jan 2nd and Boxing Day became public holidays in 1973 and 74 respectively.

It's raining in Manchester, this morning ...

All very true, mangerton, and the curious Christian division in Scotland still exists in some cases even within families.

A Catholic sibling of mine is married to a Free Presbyterian (most unusual, I know). On Sundays, they both faithfully go alone to their respective churches. She (the sibling) celebrates Xmas with friends but the husband wants nothing to do with it, as his day is NYD. Their compromise solution is to have the turkey and open their gifts on Boxing Day. Fortunately, they both married relatively late in life and have no children to consider.

I've always considered Scottish Catholics get the rather better deal here as they enthusiastically celebrate both Christmas & New Year, and are not too fussy or hung-up about the traditional Protestant adoption of the latter.

Typical! ... anything for a p***-up, I suppose ...

[BBMmk2]

Raining with strong gusty winds! yuk!

[Anna]

I had a friend living here who was Scottish Catholic (Glaswegian of Italian descent) Apart from celebrating Christmas she did the whole Hogmanay ritual, including lining up a tall dark man for first footing with coal and salt, traditional food of beef stew (maybe stew is just a Glasgow thing and haggis is more usual?), shsortbread, whisky, black bun, etc.

Thanks for explanation mangerton, I wonder if the old stereotype of Scots being dour comes from the non-celebration of Christmas?

I've just come back in giving a good impression of a drowned rat, hardly a soul about and Waitrose deserted (which was a surprise) Last night was wild, wind has eased and is now gusting at 26mph and rain sweeping down the valley.
(Also, most impressed with S_A's level of fitness, he and Cali should team up for some time trials!!)

[mangerton]

I've always considered Scottish Catholics get the rather better deal here as they enthusiastically celebrate both Christmas & New Year, and are not too fussy or hung-up about the traditional Protestant adoption of the latter.

Typical! ... anything for a p***-up, I suppose ...

Yes, they get the best of both worlds. A great idea.

[mangerton]

I had a friend living here who was Scottish Catholic (Glaswegian of Italian descent) Apart from celebrating Christmas she did the whole Hogmanay ritual, including lining up a tall dark man for first footing with coal and salt, traditional food of beef stew (maybe stew is just a Glasgow thing and haggis is more usual?), shsortbread, whisky, black bun, etc.

Thanks for explanation mangerton, I wonder if the old stereotype of Scots being dour comes from the non-celebration of Christmas?

I've just come back in giving a good impression of a drowned rat, hardly a soul about and Waitrose deserted (which was a surprise) Last night was wild, wind has eased and is now gusting at 26mph and rain sweeping down the valley.
(Also, most impressed with S_A's level of fitness, he and Cali should team up for some time trials!!)

You're welcome! Stew is common throughout Scotland, not just Glasgow. Traditional fare for NYD is steak pie, and many families would sit down to eat it shortly after "the bells" ( ie in the very early hours.)

Scots? Dour? Whatever gave you that impression???? You're probably right, and see my remarks to marthe in my post at 23.00 yesterday.

Talking of traditions, I am now going to sing at a wedding in church. Weddings on Hogmanay used to be very common in Scotland (probably because NYD was a holiday!) but are much less so now.

OT, It's dry here today, but extremely blustery, and temp is 7°C.

[scottycelt]

I had a friend living here who was Scottish Catholic (Glaswegian of Italian descent) ...

There are quite a few of us around, Anna ...

[gurnemanz]

Yes, they get the best of both worlds. A great idea.

I worked in a school in the North of Bavaria for a year in an area with split allegiance RC/Protestant, so we got days off on all the Catholic holidays like Corpus Christi but also on a Protestant holiday in November called Buß- und Bettag. This translates as Day of Prayer and Repentance, but I remember my less than pious landlady referring to it as Bürst und Fegtag - Brush and Sweep Day.

[Serial_Apologist]

Resting up today - second half of the Xmas lunch in the oven, and a glass of Amontillado beside me as I write. Red cabbage has to go in the micro in a minute. Respighi (COTW) on the DAB - I'm such a sucker for this kind of music!

A huge gust of wind blew all the recycle bins over a few minutes ago - the binpersons came and emptied them yesterday - had to go down and put the upright again.

Everyone seemed to have the cold/flu thing under discussion on the Quiche thread, yesterday: my cousin's poor husband, whose dad lives in Hammersmith - they decided to drive back to Bristol rather than being miseable in London; the young woman on the door at the National Portrait Gallery who turned into a bald elderly gentleman in five minutes, to my cousin's great amusement; the two lasses behind the bar at the pub opposite. Trying his best to give up the smokes, cousin's hubby is on one of those electric imitation ciggies which emits imitation smoke when puffed - he told me he'd been chucked out of establishments (!) and also that giving up had left him open to all manner of bugs - apparently this is something to look forward to when I begin the weaning off process on Wednesday. I remember now it happened the last time.

[marthe]

Happy New Year from across the Atlantic! Best wishes to all my friends on the FoR3 forum~marthe

[salymap]

Thanks a lot marthe.I read that at exactly 12 pm fireworks woke me up.

A HAPPY NEW YEAR to my friends, love from saly and a toast to absent friends.

[mangerton]

Happy New Year and Best Wishes from Dundee to all on the boards.

Lang may your lums reek!

[doversoul1]

迎春

from this corner of Kent

[Anna]

And, rather belatedly, from a warm and sunny Wales, I say to all friends here:
Gan ddumuno iechyd a hapusrwydd i chi yn 2013

[BBMmk2]

happy new year people!!

[Anna]

A friend mentioned today that there was a spectacular meteor shower early this morning and which will peak tomorrow around 5-6am. It's called the Quadrantids and up to 200 shooting stars could possibly be visible to the eye every hour. However, with the waning moon giving light and cloud cover here I doubt it'll be visible to me and anyway I'm too far South, but those in the North and NE are promised clear skies. I just thought I'd mention it to our early-rising Northeners!! You need to look to the NW to see it.

Isn't it nice to wake up to pretty sunrises and know the whole day will be dry?