Burghead will welcome New Year tonight with the Burning of the Clavie.
Tradition dictates that Brochers wait until January 11 to welcome in the New Year with their famous fire festival.
The 2010 Burghead Burning of the Clavie.The Clavie is carried through the town’s streets in 1979.All smiles during the 1995 Burghead Clavie.
And, as the date falls on a Saturday this year, a huge crowd – well into the thousands – is expected to take to the town’s streets to celebrate.
Dan Ralph, who is now 76 and has been Clavie King since 1988, said: “The Broch will be packed with the number of people we are expecting.
“Clavie night is the night for exiled Brochers to return – not the summer. It’s a great feeling.
“The Harbour Inn is open after three-year closure. A family from Sheffield, I believe it is, have taken it over and they will get a shock with how busy they will be!”
At the start of the evening, when still full of tar, the barrel carried by the Clavie crew – around two dozen people – can weigh upwards of 15 stone.
Grant Cormie of the Harbour Inn receives his burning stave from Clavie King Dan Ralph in 2020.Picture: Daniel Forsyth.The 1996 Burghead Clavie – staves are handed out to families.The 1990 Burghead Clavie begins.
It’s carried around three-quarters of a mile through Burghead’s streets before it is taken up Doorie Hill, the village’s highest point.
Usually the barrel is built early – but tradition dictates otherwise on a Saturday.
Dan Ralph added: “The barrel is already made, but the Clavie will be built on Saturday morning.
“If the Clavie is burned on a Saturday then it’s supposed to be built on a Saturday.
“We have a fine crew. Some of them are younger but are connected with original crew members.”
1988 Burghead Clavie – which was the first year Dan Ralph was Clavie King.Crowds pack the streets for the Clavie in 1981.
Weather is set to be fair on the night, with a relatively weak southerly wind. It will be dry and cool.
The Clavie will be lit at around 6pm near Brander Street.
Events will followed by a sold-out dance in the Burghead Community Hall, which begins at 8pm.
It’s believed that the Burning of the Clavie dates back more than a thousand years to Pictish times, an era when Burghead was one of the country’s largest settlements.
Members of the Clavie Crew silouetted at the Clavie in 2008.Picture: Bob BruceLachie Ralph at the 2024 Clavie.Picture: Daniel ForsythClavie King Dan Ralph hands out a burning stave in 2016. Picture: Daniel Forsyth.