A HOLY HOGMANAY?
It's coming. Hogmanay lands on a Sunday this time around and it can't be helped, which means we have four months to prepare for the following monotony:
Conventional 'Wee Free' name calling
Reliable quotations like 'remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy'
Epiphanies along the lines of 'we should celebrate it like the rest of the world does'
Bombshells such as 'we need to drag Stornoway into the 21st Century' & 'we're a laughing stock'
It's only September!
So you probably think I'm overreacting to something that's not yet an issue. You see though, for musicians and event organisers, Hogmanay plans begin in the summer, at the latest.
I've already been asked a number of times if I'm taking part in An Lanntair's now-very-reputable Hogmanay gig again this year followed by the hot question: 'Will they be having it on the Sunday?"
Officially, I don't know. Unofficially, I don't think so. Without a doubt, it's going to cause a stir. Probably a big one. Having said that, a few of us have heard the controversial rumour that An Lanntair is looking to trial Sunday openings.
If true, you'd first want to consider what they would be trialing. Cinema on Sundays? Concerts? Or just the cafe?
If it's just the cafe, you could sort of see why. After all, the castle is open, you can get a chinese takeaway and you can even have a pint in one of the local pubs on our sacred day too. So the cafe is fair enough, I guess.
If it's more than just the cafe opening up, I think we'd be looking at a slightly different scenario; a bigger, busier hub and a change in lifestyle for us all. I'll stop there though, I'm getting ahead of myself. I haven't yet heard anything official about this trial, it's only been mentioned to me through the grapevine.
Instead, I'm sticking to the topic of Hogmanay. That is, after all, what this blog post was originally intended to be about.
A Distinctive Mission
You see, An Lanntair is proud, I'm sure, that their distinctiveness as a creative centre stems from "being of the place" and "who we are." Their heartfelt aim is “to connect and inspire people in producing extraordinary, creative programmes, uniquely rooted in the place...” (Taken from An Lanntair's About Us section)
Luckily, the Western Isles happens to hold a great deal of culture and heritage and I think 'who we are' is very special indeed. It's a wonderfully rewarding place to base extraordinary, creative programmes on, wouldn't you agree?
Spoiler: part of 'being of this place' means, whether you love it or not, accepting a quiet Sunday.
How we spend our seventh day is a peculiarity that gets a lot of attention. The national press is obsessed with the topic and if you ask me, maybe little too fascinated by us. I get it though. After all, we are the last place in Britain where the fourth commandment still has a strong and meaningful presence. It's undoubtedly a traditional trait that remains very precious to a lot of islanders - religious and not, young and old.
For me, our Sunday lifestyle quirk is a recreation I enjoy. Just for one day a week, our island home transforms into an image of peace and tranquility and I don't think I'm the only person who feels it does something to the soul.
So the big question I'm asking is, how far should An Lanntair stand by their mission?
Should the community stick by An Lanntair if it chooses to open all of its doors to a Sunday Hogmanay party? Or do we support their mission and back their efforts to protect and respect our island traditions, even if it means a substitute Hogmanay Eve party on, well, the second last day of the year? I mean, there's no real happy-medium, or a suitable compromise. They either have their event on Hogmanay or they don't.
Let's also bear in mind that ordinary venues and facilities are not bound by such a specific mission. An Lanntair's stance is different to the one of the sports centre, for example. (That's a whole other debate I'm not prepared to open up about, not yet.) So when you've made such a strong mission statement, can you really pick and choose when it applies?
Hello, Worms!
OK, say we do open a can of unstoppable worms and An Lanntair has to bow to the pressures of society, inviting the community to count down to the bells on a Sunday evening with a band in full swing and drinks flowing. That is, if you can get staff and musicians willing to work. I know a few musicians who wouldn't, not just because of religion but because, like me, they like their Sundays.
At what point can the lid ever be put back on? At what point do traditions and values expire, and get replaced by a demand to be like the rest of the world? At what point do we no longer have a choice - musicians have to play and staff have to work? At what point will we miss the quiet Sundays we so hastily turned our backs on?
I've been to the Edinburgh Hogmanay street party. I hated it.
Let's allow ourselves to be different and not ashamed of it. Why can't we promote our dedicated quiet day of the week as an enlightening way of living?
While we're at it, why not allow our islands to be a haven for people who don't like the unnecessary extravaganzas of Hogmanay. For the people who want something wholesome, something quiet, something more traditional, in the true sense. An option to bring in the new year with family, the people you love. Or how about re-establishing the once loved First Footing tradition?
We shouldn't let the national press convince us that our Sabbath day traditions are ridiculous or 'backwards'. I believe it's quite the contrary; it's forward thinking. Those quiet Sundays are valuable and if we lose them, I think we'll only regret it one day.
Simply, I really love our Sundays the way they are, I absolutely value our traditions and I take a huge amount of pride in who we are. I don't want it to change and I don't want An Lanntair to change either.
OK, I've said it. I'm ready for the backlash.
I'm not the only person my age who would be sad to see An Lanntair lose its distinctiveness and give in to the demands of a few. I say 'my age', because I often feel it's our older generation and the stricter religious types who are most associated with this view. Actually, many of our younger islanders agree with it, we just don't have as big a public voice and almost none of us are island stakeholders. The backlash that comes with opening up like this is something people my age are likely too scared of. That, or they simply can't be bothered with it.
So, I know there won't be any turning back once I hit 'publish'. I'm prepared for heated comments in response to this but it's OK, I think. The thing is, when you open up about something you really care about, you just take it. My mum, at first, tried to talk me out of posting this because she, in her own words, can't deal with the thought of people 'being mean' to me. I guess we are both new to the world of blogging, but what would be the point in writing about something I don't care about? That would be too boring, for all of us.
Lastly, am I taking part in An Lanntair's 'Hogmanay' event again this year? No, I'm not. I'm going to Iceland with my husband and a couple of my best friends. A New Year off stage - what a novelty.
What will you be doing this holy Hogmanay?
Photo credit: Keziah Wain, Hogmanay 2016, An Lanntair
