Tonight is the biggest night of the year in Scotland. It's Hogmanay when all sorts of rituals are reenacted in towns, villages, and cities throughout the country. You know, of course, that in Comrie we have a big torch parade, called the Flambeaux. Big, beefy, and sober men carry flaming torches through the village, led by the Comrie Pipes and Drums and followed by a few home-made floats satirically depicting some of the year's events--local, national, or international.
We missed this event last year as we were in Dingle, Ireland, for the new year. The truth is, we had left so early for the airport to fly over to Dingle--on what was the windiest day of the year--that we were exhausted by 11 and were in our beds asleep by 11:30! Not this year, though. We'll be back out on the streets of Comrie with our bevvy (drink) cheering on the braw lads with the torches. Afterward we'll attend one of Comrie's oldest and biggest first footing open houses.
I hope Don can get some better photos tonight as his camera handles low light much better than mine. If so, I'll put them up sometime tomorrow. Meanwhile, you might like to see this YouTube video taken by an American tourist at the Comrie Flambeaux a year ago: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=B-4qXDoJYrg He isn't anyone we know, but this morning when Andy MacDonald came by collecting for the Flambeaux as he does every year, he told me about this video. He was the "local Scotsman with heavy equipment" the fellow on the video refers to who had brought a forklift and a chain saw to a spot on the South Crieff Road just outside of Comrie to clear a huge tree which had blown down in the gale-force winds to block the road. The video narrator gives the impression that he thinks all Scotsmen own and operate heavy equipment. Little did he know that (a) Andy is one of Comrie's leading contractors and (b) he was one of the lads carrying a torch which was captured on video half an hour later.
Wherever you are and whatever you do, we hope you will enjoy the evening.
Happy New Year!
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