Christmas Fix Holidays

Whiskey And Irn Bru For Scottish Christmas

Robert Guthrie/youthjournalism.org
A Scottish Christmas tree
By Robert
Guthrie
Reporter
DUMFRIES,
Scotland – The buzz of Christmas – one of the most celebrated festivals in the
world – is no different in Scotland with bright lights, inevitably masses of
snow and large community celebrations being held throughout the nation.
One
highlight of Christmas festivities for the majority of Scottish people is the
food on offer. Given that Scotland is part of the United Kingdom, the country
shares many traditions with England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
We eat
roasted turkey and vegetables around Christmas Day and we also have mince pies
by the bucket load!
However,
Scotland does have some culinary delights specific to the country.
Many Scots
drink the national drink, that is, whiskey. The alcoholic spirit is made from
barley and water. Many other different flavors can be added depending on the
area of Scotland where the drink is produced.
Drambuie – a
whiskey liqueur made with honey, spices and herbs – is also guzzled.
Irn Bru is
also downed by many Scottish people at not just Christmas, but at other times
of the year, too. Irn Bru is an orange-colored fizzy drink which is usually
known as ‘Scotland’s other national drink.’ It is the number one selling soft
drink in Scotland and rumor has it that the tasty stuff is made with iron from
The Forth Road Bridge – one of Scotland’s famous bridges. People not only in
Scotland but throughout the world also love to eat shortbread butter biscuits. Shortbread
is a crumbly biscuit that is made with a lot of butter. It is incredibly tasty
and if you don’t like it, there’s something wrong with you!
Ceilidhs
(pronounced ‘Kay-Lees’) take place regularly at Christmastime all over
Scotland. They are big evenings for people of all ages to join in on
traditional Scottish dancing.
Many schools
throughout the country hold ceilidhs for all of their pupils and they are an
enjoyable event. Dancing also helps socially as you meet many new people along
the way – Scottish dancing is progressive, which means that you change partners
many times, unlike many other dances where couples remain in pairs.
While Christmastime
in Scotland may be very similar to celebrations in other countries, Scotland
does have many longstanding traditions which people all over the nation join in
on, and that’s why it’s probably one of the best periods on the calendar.