Burning of Burghead Clavie stands test of time

by Joe Millican

The 'Clavie Crew' carry the burning torch through the streets of Burghead.

A SPECTACULAR ball of flames lit up the Burghead sky on Wednesday night, as hundreds gathered to watch the Clavie burn in one of Scotland’s unique new year celebrations.

The impressive climax to the annual Burning Of The Clavie ceremony was aided by a combination of strong winds and numerous buckets of creosote, and as the fire shot into the sky, it was accompanied by shouts and cheers from the huge crowd which had assembled on and around Doorie Hill.

Just an hour earlier at 6pm, the barrel of tar and wood shavings had been lit at the Old Manse Dyke on Granary Street.

A traditional starting point for the procession, ‘Clavie King’ Dan Ralph and his crew then carried the burning nest of fire on a traditional and lengthy route clockwise through the old part of the town.

The first of the burning ‘faggots’, which tradition states bring good luck to their recipients, was left at the nearby Station Hotel.

Burghead’s other two pubs also received fragments of the smouldering embers, as did numerous householders as the crowd firstly moved down to the harbour and then on a route meandering through the streets.

The shouts of "hip hip hooray" from the mass crowd were only interrupted by the sound of smoke alarms in a handful of homes, which were triggered as doors were opened. Before residents took their burning tokens of good fortune inside, they were busy on the pavement stamping on the red hot pieces of wood or pouring-on water to douse the flames.

While the Clavie burned bright throughout the route, thanks in part to a refuelling on King Street, it was while on Doorie Hill that the real light show began.

Burning bright and with sparks flying, the Clavie lit up the Burghead night sky.

Mr Ralph admitted that the strong winds were making it difficult to keep the flames leaping high into the night sky.

However, he said it wasn’t something a good helping of creosote couldn’t fix and that helped create a dazzling beacon of light.

"It was absolutely excellent," Mr Ralph said of this year’s spectacle.

"There’s a few singes but everybody is alright! We are well pleased. There was a huge crowd of people, and I think it really shows that people appreciate what we are doing.

"For it being a Wednesday there was a lot, and the crowd was probably about the same as we usually get on week days. The next one will be on a Friday, and so we will probably have triple the crowd."

The Burning Of The Clavie, which heralds the start of the Pictish new year, is steeped in ancient tradition.

It is held every year on January 11 – the first day of the old Julian calendar. The only exception is if the 11th falls on a Sunday, in which case the ceremony is staged a day earlier.

The Clavie itself is a barrel cut down to 17 inches, which is filled with tar and bits of wood. It is nailed onto a four-foot pole with a specially forged nail, which is re-used year after year.

At the end of the route through the town, the Clavie is placed on a stone altar on the site of the old Pictish fort at Doorie Hill. After the barrel collapses the blazing embers are scattered over the hilltop before being handed out to residents for good luck.

The ceremony has not been without its controversy, and has had to overcome a series of obstacles over the centuries.

Damned by the church in the 18th century as "an abominable heathenish practice", the tradition has nevertheless stood the test of time.

Mr Ralph, who has been ‘Clavie King’ since 1988 and can trace his Burghead routes back many generations, also said there is no indication that the practice will wane in the future.

"We make a point of not changing anything. We just do what we have been told by our forefathers," he said.

"We have got a fine amount of young crew members associated with the Clavie, and families are showing huge interest. It means that when the old guys can’t do it any more then it will be well taken care of. We feel very rewarded in that."