Festivals And Activities In Scotland And Highlands
Scotland and Highlands is generally the preferred route for any traveler. Here one needs to make proper reservations while visiting the place as a family. The festive spirit is generally high and partaking in the events is a great pleasure for any tourist. Moreover, the land has several events hosted in the international platform especially pertaining to events like film awards and film festivals which makes it open for exploring more tourism opportunities. There are boxing events and the St Andrews Day is a special feast here as the saint was revered here. In November, as per the Roman Catholic belief, 'All souls day' holds a special significance with prayers and distributing alms to the needy.
Come winter and the entire Europe transforms into a festive atmosphere. The weather and the festive mood are seen in plenty. The Halloween festival comes in October wherein children and elders dress up in gears representing pumpkins, witches and skeletons. Special painting contests are also organized for children with the same theme. The basic reason to celebrate was known as the end of the summer season. People cheer the children with lot of candies and cookies and walking through the roads is interesting with so much of people dressed in this fashion.
Along with church prayers and sermons for celebrating Christmas, people generally enjoy the fun with loads of pies, pastries, special Xmas platters and lots of Scottish whisky to complete the mood. The Hogmanay or the New Year's Eve is a very special occasion. The word Hogmanay has several stories to show its meaning. It suggests the meaning of cake taking hint from Houginane or the French name for cake. People also think that it is a day to forget and kiss and hence it represents the spirit of hugging and kissing. As several foods are prepared with animal food it suggests Hoggunott or may be killing the animals for food. People clean their house as part of the festive occasion and also ring bells in the mid night to welcome the New Year.
The famous rhyme 'Hot Cross Buns' is echoed in the streets of Scotland during Easter with so many bakeries selling fresh buns to mark the festive spirit. The 'First foot' is usually done on the 1st of January wherein a person enters the house to welcome the New Year and usually carries bun and whisky with him. A torch procession is conducted to salute the Viking spirit in January. This is quite a visual treat to watch. The 'Tailee Day' to happily enjoy playing pranks on others is done with a view to celebrate April Fools day.
The dance and the typical Scottish attired men with their musical and bagpipe playing performances are a great treat for a tourist. The Blas festival has been a rich representation of mixing of cultures. There are several concerts held in the Archeology week in Scottish highlands which are visited by several likeminded people. Games in Highlands include tossing, piping and dancing along with lots of traditional music. Shinty sports, golf tournaments and several walking competitions and raft racing are other attractions in Scottish Highlands.