Fire festivals and traditions, as well as other ceremonies, are part of all cultures, and probably have been from time immemorial. It sounds a little terrifying, but the Scots love flames as well. The fireball ceremony is a spectacle to watch. The party takes place around midnight on the 31st December, and goes on into January 1st. The festival’s origin has many different tales, but it probably begun from a local 19th century ritual. It is about 110 years old, and the locals live for this moment.
Some records that go way back into the early 1900s, state that the purifying flames may have been used to ward off evil spirits, and to bestow luck on the fishing fleet. Others say that it is a way of burning off bad spirits from the previous year, so as to usher in a new and clean spirit for the new year. Either way it is about sending away bad spirits.
There are at least 8000 – 12,000 spectators attending the ceremony every year, and when the old Town House bell chimes at midnight, it signifies the start of the ceremony, though street entertainment begins at about 11pm, with bands of pipers playing and wild drumming rising. The high streets go up in flames with whirling balls of flames as spectators march along the streets. The balls sends showers of sparks into the spectators as they count down the last few seconds into the new year. Note that spectators can be vulnerable from the fireballs, though the balls are later thrown into the harbour to extinguish. It is a free event, so locals and visitors can attend. But you must book for a place to stay early, because hotel rooms are usually fully booked at that time of the yea,r and will charge much more than their normal rates if you find any.