Burning of the Clavie

We went to the Burning of the Clavie in Burghead last night. This is the celebration of the Julian New Year (as opposed to the Gregorian New Year). Anywhere else this might be a case for the riot police as a group of men carry a burning whisky barrel through the streets of this usually quiet east coast fishing village. The streets, lined with parked cars, are full of people as pieces of barrel are dropped outside houses and shops. Eventually the burning barrel reaches the hill leading to the coastguard station where it is deposited on a cairn and fuelled with buckets of petrol accompanied by cheers from the massed crowd. The burning barrel is then gradually dismantled and the glowing embers passed to the crowd who covet them as they are said to ward off evil witches that may bring you bad luck. All very primal but fun! I took a load of pictures! you can also view a video (not mine) at this link. I have now worked out how to link my own video!