Show MANAY st andrews day touches off scots new year doings the celebration of st andrewes An andrew dreves day touches oft off a series of scottish celebrations that reach their peak at new year Ilog manay and continue with little respite to bi bum s day on the of 0 january few national festivals occasion more uninhibited gusto over more of 0 the worlds face ace from houston to hong kong scots of au all vintages vintage dream of haggis heather highlands and the skirl of bagpipes indeed they spare no effort to make the dream come true the illinois st andrews society for instance have been known to fly in their supply of haggis and heather direct from scotland and to have piped it all the way from the airport to the dinner table one of the most engaging customs of is the ancient rite of first shooting in the wee smal sma hours of new years morning A first toot foot Is literally the first person outside the family to cross the threshold of the home after the clock has ushered the old year into history for the best of portents the visitor it if a man should be dark and handsome if a woman she must be fair in either cither case the visitor should carry handsel which may be anything from an orange to a bottle bottie t tle of whiskey you dont have to ask a scot his preference but an empty handed first foot will bring poverty and privation so even an orange Is worthwhile assuming that the handsel is in liquid form the head of the house takes the first drink and then passes the bottle round the family thus fortified all attack the traditional fare are round shortbread c cake a k e nipped round the edges to simulate the sun sim the druids druies were responsible for this and black bun a Is superior u sort of mince pie coat containing aln fruits almonds spices and brandy what happens after this is your own responsibility but tho the scots themselves ward off indigestion with music and dancing with a capital D sometimes first foot ers appear as guizardo gul gui a mummer or a strolling player and the greater the number of first footers looters the more honored is the household so nobody need be shy those thosa not to the tartan born bom may wonder why the scots lay such stress on the new year rath er than christmas to find the answer you jou have to flick back a page or two of history the vikings probably started the yuletide Yule tlde festivities tivi ties and the christian reform ers merely took it over and invested it with the dignity of the feast of the tha nativity |