This Tall dark-haired handsome man needs his coal to first foot the New Year

The last day of the year or Hogmanay as we call it in Scotland.

I popped down to the local shop this morning for the last time of the year.

We have been told about all this snow and ice and cold weather we were to be getting as a fall out from the bomb cyclone that occurred across the pond.

Well like so many times, the meteorologists have spun us a story.

The only thing that happened was rain, as evidenced by the wee burn that comes out at the sea, you can see it was fast flowing with a fair flow of water.

This used to be a spinning mill, but like so many mills connected to the textile industry it went like the way of most of the others.

Can you see the stars on the building? Every year they have a charity thing where businesses can rent a star. It does make it look bonnie at night!

It looks like this post is going to grow arms and legs from what I had originally planned.

This is all good though.

Traditions at New Year.

I remember my grandparents telling me that we should end the year the way that we intend to start the New Year.

So my grandma would be out in her garden, gardening on 31st December and my grandpa would be away at the Freemasons. Then they would have dinner and start the Hogmanay preparations.

Back to the shopping though!

Here we are and close to the seafront. As you can see there is no snow, and it is a mild winters day. I can remember in my youth snow and ice at New Year, but not today!

So in I went to our local Lidl and it was what I saw that prompted this post!

As you enter you are greeted with this poster...

a guid New Year tae yin an aw

Do you know what that means? Drop your comment and if you right then perhaps Santa Ed will drop something...

I did my shopping, which was basically to get some brown bread to have with tomorrow's smoked salmon for breakfast.
I did grab a lettuce and some tomatoes, cranberry juice and chocolate puddings.

Unfortunately I did not snap my purchases, because my eyes were drawn to something!

👀 This is what they saw 👀

Yes in the bucket is coal!

Don't forget your "first footing" coal!

Happy New Year to all from Lidl

Now you probably think the madman really is mad🤣

Apart from copious amounts of alcohol, one of the big Scottish traditions at New Year is first footing.

Although like so many of our traditions, it is not as popular as it once was.

Funfact ... what the fluff is first footing?

• It stems back to the Vikings and the 8th and 9th centuries when they were invading! Whoever entered the house first in the New Year was deemed to be the first foot.
• The first footer can bring luck to the house, but remember that not all luck is good! So yes you could get a year of misfortune if you have the wrong first footer🤣

The Good Luck!

In Scottish tradition good luck comes in the form of a tall, dark-haired man being the first footer. In my youth I was a popular first footer🤣

The misfortune!

On the other hand, women, light-haired men and redheads were seen as harbingers of ill fate. Considering the amount of redheads that were around in the old days I guess this is not so surprising.

Gifts from the First Footer

The first footer would traditionally arrive bearing gifts to bring good fortune and health to the home. Gifts generally took the form of a coin, shortbread or something edible, a lump of coal or wood for the fire and a drink of whisky to represent prosperity, food, warmth and good cheer.

There is a heap of information on the interwebby about First Footing, and I got mine from Dalhousie Castle which is very close to where I grew up in Edinburgh and is a source of inspiration for the family home of my faction character Archie Cameron ... yes @coquicoin I will get you the draft I promise!

I digress as fluffing usual!

Grabbing my free coal

So yes I did avail myself of the kind offer from Lidl and took a couple of bits of coal. I do have everything else already and I do love this time of year as I am particularly found of shortbread!

That made me lick my lips.

Earworms, I have not had one of those for a while, but this kept popping into my head!