About
Pitlochry's Scottish New Year
Celebrations
The Pitlochry Scottish New
Year is welcomed in Style by closing of Atholl Road,
Pitlochry's main street to traffic and having it filled with new
year revellers. This takes place on New Year's Day between 1pm to
4pm. Entrance is free. This new year event is very popular and
always very well supported.
On YOU Tube 2013
Pitlochry New Year's Day Street Party and Ceilidh
On YOU TUBE 2012 Pitlochry New
Year's Day Ceilidh
On YOU TUBE - 2011
Pitlochry Street Ceilidh on YOU TUBE
New Year's Day Street Party and Ceilidh Time
table:-
Hot soup, sausage rolls,
mulled wine, pies. (see below for full details).
1pm - Vale of Atholl Pipe Band open the
Ceilidh.
1 to 4pm - Ceilidh dance to Jack Delaney's
Ceilidh Band with Compere Eddie Rose.
1.30, 2.15, 3pm - Silly McBee, the Clown
performances in Fishers Hotel (50p entry), tickets purchased from
New Year's Day Ceilidh Steward (wearing yellow top) in Fishers
hotel.
2.30pm aprox - Vale of Atholl Pipe Band
After 3.30pm - Raffle draw
4pm - Auld Land Syne
A band plays Ceildh music and invites everyone to dance
traditional Scottish Ceilidh (pronounced kay lee)
dances such as Strip the Willow, Dashing White
Sergeant, The Gay Gordons, The Military two step and much more.
Hog Roast - 12 to 4pm served in floury baps
with Homemade Apple Sauce outside the Auld Smiddy.
2013 News Day Raffle Prizes
BUY your £1 tickets on the day or at shops and businesses in
Pitlochry.
- FESTIVE WHISKY DECANTER - Thanks to Bells
Blair Athol Distillery
- £100 VOUCHERS - Thanks to Pitlochry CO-OP
Supermarket
- £130 TO £150 Bumper Box of Mixed cards at
Cards & Co Atholl Road, Pitlochry - Thanks to Cards & Co
(Pitlochry)
- Dinner for two at the Green Park Hotel -
Thanks to the Green Park Hote
- £50 Voucher at Strathgarry Restaurant - Thanks
to Strathgarry Restaurant
- £50 Meal Voucher at McKays Bar and Restaurtant
- Thanks to McKays
- Dinner for two and a bottle of wine at Scotlands
Hotel - Thanks to Scotlands Hotel
- One Four Ball Rounds at Pitlochry Golf Club -
Thanks to Pitlochry Golf Club.
- £40 Dinner for two at Victoria's Restaurant -
Thanks to Victorias Restaurant and Cafe
- £20 Book Token at Glacier Books - Thanks to
Glacier Books
- February Leisure Club Membership for two -
Thanks to Pitlochry Hyrdo Hotel
- A cute Pitlochry Teddy Bear - Thanks to the
Pitlochry Scottish Shop
- £50 Dinner for two at Fern Cottage Restaurant
- thanks to Fern Cottage Restaurant
- Two Framed Prints at Kate Kirby - Thanks to
Kate Kirby (Pitlochry)
- £30 gift voucher at For the Present - Thanks
to For the Present (Pitlochry)
- £20 Voucher at Drink Mongers - Thanks to Drink
Mongers (Pitlochry)
- Tynereich Nursery Voucher - Thanks to
Tynereich Nursery, Ballinluig
It is a great way for locals and visitors alike to get a breath
of fresh air after the revelries of the night before. You will see
many locals there wishing each other a good new year, some with hip
flasks of whisky offering a wee nip to friends, in the time
honoured tradition.
Macdonald Bros
Butchers of Pitlochry - the Macdonald family young and
old give up every New Year's Day to provide a continuous stream
of sausage rolls (2,500 to be precise), and 54 gallons
of soup. All free with a donation towards next year's event. The
food is just what is wanted and very welcome on a cold New Year's
day. There are of course donation buckets for your contributions to
help fund next year's event. (If there are any surplus funds
are donated to local charities and good causes by the
Committee). You will also find people going round selling
raffle tickets.
Pitlochry in
Bloom, Pitlochry's Multi- Award Winning Floral
Group are offering sweets, soft drinks, popcorn and mulled wine
- again there are donations buckets for guests to help with
funding.
Bells Blair Atholl Distillery is a great
supporter of Pitlochry town in so many ways. You will see their
details on the canopy above the band, without their invaluable
support Pitlochry would find a big hole in meeting the costs of
staging these kind of events. It is so important in small
communities such as Pitlochry for all the businesses to help out
and make what Pitlochry is, a superb little Highland tourist
town.
Scotland has a tradition of seeing in the new year with special
celebrations, indeed New Year was always more important than
Christmas in Scotland. New Year's Day has 
always been a public holiday, where
are Christmas Day was traditionally a working day, right up to the
1950s. Some of the New Year's Day traditions continue with
many locals leaving any party on Hogmanay (New Year's Eve) just
before mid night so they can see the New Year in, or 'hear the
Bells' chiming in the New Year in their own homes. The
Pitlochry New Years Day Ceilidh is a great place to experience and
see some of these traditions.
The final event of the Pitlochry New Year's Day Ceilidh is the
clasping of hands and forming a large circle to sing 'Auld Lang
Syne'.
Auld Lang Syne
Auld Lang Syne is the song used the world over and is part of
all Scottish New Year Celebrations including those at Pitlochry in
Highland Perthshire.
Th words to Auld Lang Syne (Old Times Sake) are very
much part of all Scottish New Year Celebrations. Auld Lang Syne was
of course written by Scotland's World Famous Bard Rabbie
(Robert) Burns.
Auld Lang Syne
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup of kindness yet,
For auld lang syne!
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne?
And surely ye'll be your pint-stowp,
And surely I'll be mine,
And we'll tak a cup o kindness yet,
For auld lang syne!
We twa hae run about the braes,
And pou'd the gowans fine,
But we've wander'd monie a weary fit,
Sin auld lang syne.
We twa hae paidl'd in the burn
Frae morning sun till dine,
But seas between us braid hae roar'd
Sin auld lang syne.
And there's a hand my trusty fiere,
And gie's a hand o thine,
And we'll tak a right guid-willie waught,
For auld lang syne.
If you are to translate this from Old Scots to modern
English it is:-
Should old friends be forgotten,
And never remembered?
Should old friends be forgotten,
And days gone by
Chorus:
For days gone by, my dear,
For days gone by,
We'll take a cup of kindness yet,
For days gone by.
And there's a hand, my trusty friend,
And give me a hand of yours,
And we'll take a very hearty drink,
For days gone by!
The traditional is to join hands in a circle during the first
verse, then to cross your hands in front of you and join hands
again for the last verse; this brings everyone in the circle closer
together, which just reinforces the sentiments of the song.
If you don't know all the words, you will not be the only one.
Many people will sing something like, 'Should auld acquaintance be
forgot, l........, …… , for auld lang syne!' The important thing is
showing willing and being with friends.
Happy New Year from Pitlochry in Bonnie
Scotland
