Stonehaven Fireball fire Ceremony, Stonehaven High Street. Hogmanay, New Year festival, fiery party & festival on the Scottish coast, Scotland, UK
Stonehaven's Fireball Ceremony is one of the most unique Hogmanay festivals in Scotland. At the strike of midnight, the High street is lit up as the fireball-swingers make their way through the town, swinging their blazing balls around and above their heads. Over sixty swingers, all of whom usually reside in the burgh, march down the High street to the accompaniment of bagpipes from the Mercat Cross to the harbour where the balls are then thrown into the sea. The origins of the ceremony can be traced back to a 19th-century fisherman's festival although documentary evidence only exists from 1910. However, others suggest that it has much earlier, possibly even pre-Christian origins with the fireballs being used to ward off evil spirits. Even if we only date it from 1910 onwards, the fact that this ceremony has been carried out every Hogmanay since then (except for during the World Wars) makes it an event of note in Scotland and the UK.
Size: 3413px × 5120px
Location: Stonehaven, Scotland uk
Photo credit: © MediaWorldImages / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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