The burning Clavie is carried through the streets of the town by the members of the Clavie Crew (Photo: Anne Burgess – From geograph.org.uk. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons)
When: 11th January 2016
Where: Burghead, Moray, Scotland
£: Free to watch
What is it?
The Burning of the Clavie is a unique fire festival held annually in Burghead. The tradition celebrates the New year according to the Julian calendar and features a barrel full of staves, known as a Clavie.
When this custom first took place is unknown but it is thought to date back to at least the 1700s and is still going strong today.
The Clavie refers to a cask which is split in half, coated with tar and filled with burning staves.
The flaming Clavie is then paraded around the fishing village of Burghead in Moray, Scotland, followed by a large crowd of onlookers. Only natives of Burghead are allowed to carry the burning barrels and they are known as the Clavie Crew.
The Clavie is finally taken to Doorie Hill, the site of an ancient fort. Here the Clavie is left to burn out.
The Clavie is carried to the top of the Doorie Hill (Photo: Anne Burgess – From geograph.org.uk. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons)
Locals gather up the embers of the Clavie as they are meant to bring good luck. It is said that traditionally the inhabitants of Burghead would have put the embers in their hearths to prevent bad spirits and witches coming down their chimneys.
More info: www.burghead.com/clavie