It’s on Fire

The Burning of the Clavie last night at Burghead. Our lovely pals Davie and Eileen Smillie now no longer with us, both east coasters, went every year and tonight we went for the first time to remember them.... they were with us all the way... Both ardent supporters of Scottish independence, full of life and Scottishness ... think about them often.....
More info ... www.burghead.com/clavie/. At one point all the fishing villages along the east coast would have done it but Burghead are the only community who have kept it up. It’s maintained as an authentic tradition for the community and not promoted as a tourist event but lots of folks from outside the community do join the procession. There were lots of families there, lots of children just watching the ceremony and enjoying the fire, the sounds of the crowd cheering and it fairly made me hopeful that basic community and nature are still something we all want and respond to when we have access to it.