Burning the clavie

From Traditional Witchcraft Wiki Project

Burning the clavie or "burning the old year out" is an ancient Scottish custom, which contains Pagan Antiquity and is still performed at Burghead, Scotland. The "clavie" is a bonfire of barrels split in two, lighted on 11 January, which is the eve of the new year by the Julian Calendar. One of these casks is joined together again by a huge fork-like nail, from which the Latin word: clavis comes from; hence the term, it may also be from Scottish Gaelic "cliabh", meaning a basket used for holding combustibles. The clavie is then filled with tar and wood, lighted and carried flaming round the village and finally up to the Doorie hillon a Ramparts upon which stands the ruins of a Roman altar, the locals called it the "Douro". It here forms the nucleus of the bonfire, which is built up of split casks. When the burning tar-barrel falls in pieces, the people of the village then collect burning pieces of charcoal that has fallen from the clavie, to take home to kindle the New Year's fire in there very own hearth. The charcoal of the clavie is considered lucky to the village folk to bless they homes for the new year and to keep evil spirits at bay.

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