Gàidhlig / English
Oidhche Choinnle

Oidhche Choinnle

Posted by Edit on 22nd December 2016

This year’s final word of the week is Oidhche Choinnle, ‘candlemass’, one of many names for New Year’s Eve. It was collected in Lochaber for the Fieldwork Archive but it seems likely that this word was used throughout Scotland. As is well-known, New Year’s Eve or Hogmanay, which is commonly referred to as Oidhche Challainn in Gaelic, is the biggest annual celebration in Scotland. As opposed to Christmas, this celebration is mostly based on pagan traditions, though it is likely that most Christmas and New Year traditions in Britain and beyond stem from the same pagan midwinter celebration.

Hence, there are many superstitions attached to the Hogmanay traditions. As is mentioned here it was the custom to keep the fire and candles lit in the house throughout the night of the New Year – if they went out, it was believed that misfortune would be the fate of the people of the house in the coming year. The name Oidhche Choinnle originates in this tradition.

Though it is not the most common name for the celebration, Oidhche Choinnle appears in some of the verses that were chanted by the boys when they visited houses in the morning of the New Year in the tradition that is called ‘first footing'. In Mac-Talla, vol. 11, 1902, it is described how the boys used to be covered in a bull’s hide with the horns still attached and they would shake these horns together while chanting the following ditty:

Candle-night, fortunate night,
Splendid and felicitous night,
Maidens distributing the bannocks,
Candles shining with their light;
Lots of bustle about the house,
This is the house where my errand lies,
And there’s no need for me to go further.

(transl. Catrìona NicÌomhair Parsons).

Though this must have been frightening enough, the lady of the house was expected to offer the boys some food and drink before they went onto the next house!

If you have more information on Oidhche Choinnle and related traditions, please let us know below or on our Facebook or Twitter pages.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year when it comes from the DASG team!
Your comment has been submitted for moderation
There are no comments for this post