Hogmanay Bannock

Hogmanay Bannock was made for Hogmanay (Scottish New Year), in the form of a small bannock made with oats and caraway seeds, with a hole in the centre and notched edges.

One would be made for each child. Children got them in the morning, and had to eat them all as to leave any was bad luck.

The hole was made by holding the bannock in your left hand, and by pressing in the centre with the thumb of your right hand, and rotating the bannock sunwise (i.e. clockwise.)

Some speculate that the fluting or notching on the edges symbolized the sun's rays and is a hangover from Celtic Yule festivals.

In older Celtic beliefs, Fairies might come into the house if the bannock was left overnight, unless there was a hole in it.

If the Hogmanay Bannock crumbled during baking, it meant bad luck such as illness or death for the particular child the bannock was made for.

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