Of course, the Scottish tradition of placing more emphasis on ringing in the New Year than on celebrating Christmas goes back much further. It all started because the 16th century Protestant reformation was particularly severe there, and the elders of the Kirks banned religious celebrations, including Christmas, which they portrayed as ‘Popish’ and ‘Catholic’. But the rites of New Year were spared because they were pre-Christian. So, right up to the latter half of this century, most Scots worked over Christmas, and didn’t get a break until January 1st, so they could enjoy themselves the night before.
One of the many traditions associated with New Year in Scotland, some of which date back to Pagan times, is that of First Footing. After the stroke of midnight, the first person to visit a house should bring a piece of coal or other gift, to guarantee prosperity for that household during the coming year. To insure further good luck, this first caller must also be dark-haired, a condition which probably harks back to the fear of blond strangers born of bad memories of Viking day-trippers.
But no matter what time of the year you choose to go, Edinburgh is still one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. This distinction is partly an accident of nature, for the city is built upon a jumble of hills and valleys. However, during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the natural geography was enhanced by the works of a succession of Georgian and Victorian architects. The result today is high drama: there are countless spots where Edinburgh looks less like a city and more like a theatrical backdrop (which, in a sense, it becomes, during the International Festival and Fringe Festival in August, when the one million visitors dwarf the number who crowd in for Hogmanay.)
That Edinburgh is pure theatre is immediately demonstrated to travellers as they emerge from Waverly railway station, and look along the valley of Princes Street Gardens and gaze upon Edinburgh Castle, perched dramatically on its precipitous crag of volcanic rock. To the left, huddled on a lofty ridge, is the Old Town. Halfway along the valley, among the trees, rise the classical columns of the National Gallery of Scotland and the Royal Scottish Academy. On the right soars the Scott Monument, a tribute to Sir Walter Scott.
Perhaps it is for its Castle that Edinburgh is most famous, and it offers splendid panoramic views of the city. Within its confines there is also much to see. The Royal apartments include the tiny room in which Mary, Queen of Scots, gave birth to the boy who was to become King James VI of Scotland and I of England. The Scottish Crown Jewels are on show in the Crown Room. The oldest building in all Edinburgh, St Margaret’s Chapel, is in the Castle’s precincts.
The first buildings in Edinburgh were hard by the Castle, for protection, but gradually they spread down the ridge to the east of the fortress. This is the Old Town. Before going down the Royal Mile, it is worth making a sortie along George IV Bridge to the top of Candlemaker Row, a convenient route to the Grassmarket, a square noted for its antique shops, boutiques, pubs and restaurants. Robert Burns and William Wordsworth were amongst those who once lodged in the White Hart Inn on the north side of the Grassmarket.