Great Balls of Fire

Ah, New Year’s Eve. For some strange reason, this night always brings an air of expectation for huge amounts of partying and fun - and more often than not it ends up being most lame. Think of all the bad house parties or overpriced and overcrowded nightclubs.

So when the invite came to check out the Stonehaven Fireball Festival in Aberdeenshire, I thought – now this is something a bit different. The Herald newspaper summarises this festival as follows: “The traditional procession of 60 local men, swinging fireballs above their heads before hurling them into the sea”.

Stonehaven is a small town about 2 hours northwest of Glasgow, and just south of Aberdeen. The weather was unfortunately not very co-operative on Scotland’s east coast this night (snow, driving rain, high winds – the works) to the extent that Edinburgh’s famous Hogmanay celebrations were cancelled. But much to Stonehaven’s credit, the fireball procession went on. It was cold and I was quite damp, but I must admit it was a whole bunch of fun. Picture this: a small Scottish street with a reasonable number of spectators crammed alongside. You’ve got a bagpipe marching band, and then a great flare as the participants light up their fireballs. The “fireball” is a large mesh ball filled with timber and other flammable items attached to a chain which can be swung over the head. So to recap - we’ve got balls of fire swinging in the air, sparks flying everywhere, and bagpipes. We then all followed the procession down to the sea where the balls were flung into the deep. And then we got drunk. Now that’s what New Year’s should be all about!

We were also lucky enough to run into the local celebrity, Mark “Big Ball” Anderson, who reputedly has the biggest (fire)balls in town. They sure seemed big to my untrained eye.

So 2004 is here. Another cliché of the season comes in the form of New Year’s Resolutions. But they proved to be the incentive I needed to finally get on the shorts and hit the streets of Glasgow for my first jog in months. I feel like someone clubbed me in both of my legs and then punched me in the gut, which is probably my body’s way of saying that perhaps I’ve had my fair share of beer and holiday food delights. Point taken.

How two weeks fly by...Monday morning, and back to work. I hope everybody had a great holiday, and here’s hoping for many a good time in 2004!