Events in Moray: Burghead gets ready for Burning of the Clavie
Burghead will be celebrating the New Year in its own unique way next week with The Burning of the Clavie.
An old whisky barrel full of staves has already been prepared and, at 6pm this coming Wednesday, this will be set alight.
Followed by a large crowd, it will then be carried around the village by the Clavie Crew who take it in turns to balance its heavy weight on their shoulders.
Pieces from the Clavie are said to bring good luck for the coming year, so they are sent around the world to exiled ‘Brochers’.
This ancient fire festival has always taken place on the same night. However when, in 1752, Britain adopted the Gregorian calendar that date suddenly became January 11 rather than the first day of the month. As a result, ever since, the people of Burghead have marked New Year twice – once on Hogmanay alongside everybody else, and again 11 nights later with the Clavie.
Dan Ralph, the village’s Clavie King, said: “When the calendar changed there were riots in parts of the country because some people believed they’d had 11 days of their lives stolen from them. In Burghead, though, we just ignored the change and carried on having a good time.”
