In Stonehaven’s Hogmanay ceremony, paraders swing burning objects called fireballs.
Stonehaven is a coastal town in Aberdeenshire, northeast Scotland. At midnight, participants set fire to handmade balls built from chicken wire and packed with combustible materials such as newspaper, sticks and rags. Each fireball is attached to a length of wire, chain or other non-flammable rope, allowing its bearer to swing the blazing object around the body while walking along the town’s High Street.
The procession traditionally starts near the Mercat Cross and continues toward the harbour. At the end, the still-burning fireballs are thrown into the sea, creating a dramatic symbol of driving away the old year and welcoming the new one. The ceremony attracts large crowds and is one of Scotland’s most distinctive local Hogmanay customs.
Fireballs are not simply oversized torches or handheld sparklers. Their defining feature is the swinging motion and the spherical construction. Stonehaven’s event is also different from Burghead’s Burning of the Clavie, another Scottish midwinter fire tradition involving a separate ritual object.