History Hound Travels

You’ll note that I did not say Scotch (which is a whisky, dinna be confused). I was doing some research tonight on Hogmanay, which led me to read a bit on the Kirk (Church) of Scotland. Here’s the tidbit that fascinated me: the Kirk discouraged the celebration of Christmas until the 1960s, even while it held it’s normal religious nature. It was a regular working day in Scotland! People celebrated Hogmanay with gifts and parties, though. In fact, Edinburgh (the capital) and several other cities hold all night parties which begin on December 31st and end on January 1st. Unless they carry over, LOL! of course, the Kirk doesn’t care overmuch for Hogmanay either.

And let’s talk about the Church of Scotland. It is a Presbyterian church, shaped during the Scottish reformation. It is a national church without being a state church, and it’s emblem is the burning bush. You’ll find the offices on George Street in Edinburgh. And if you thought American churches were highly fractured and politicized, read this:

However, in the 1920s, the United Kingdom Parliament passed the Church of Scotland Act 1921, finally recognising the full independence of the Church in matters spiritual, and as a result of this the Kirk was able to unite with the United Free Church of Scotland in 1929. The United Free Church of Scotland was itself the product of the union of the former United Presbyterian Church of Scotland and the majority of the Free Church of Scotland in 1900.

Some independent Scottish Presbyterian denominations still remain. These include the Free Church of Scotland (formed of those congregations which refused to unite with the United Presbyterian Church in 1900), the United Free Church of Scotland (formed of congregations which refused to unite with the Church of Scotland in 1929), the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland (which broke from the Free Church of Scotland in 1893), the Associated Presbyterian Churches (which emerged as a result of a split in the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland in the 1980s) and the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) (which emerged from a split in the Free Church of Scotland in 2000).

Wild, huh?

Now, I recommend that you go to Edinburgh around the end of the year. Find a cheap hotel in Edinburgh and attend the Hogmanay party. You’ll need to keep that accomodation in Edinburgh for a few days, because the holiday may last until the 3rd or 4th. When the church offices re-open, visit them, too, just to even things out, see. Hotels in Edinburgh run the gamut from primitive to luxurious–remember my motto: the less you spend on lodging, the more stuff you can afford to do!

In school this term, we are studying Leonardo DaVinci, and as part of our study, we are being very briefly introduced to other Italian artists of the time. It’s been interesting to get a look at some of the great art without having to book hotels in Italy. I was lucky enough to see some of them in person when I went to Europe 20 years ago. If you have never seen it, let me assure you that the Mona Lisa is just as stunning in person.

One of the intriguing things about Rome is that the art isn’t just in Museums. I spent a bit of time just walking around there, and there are statues and fountains and just so much to see, even where you would not expect it. The most famous is the Trevi (shown at left, public domain photo), but that whole area is just incredible. I should also note that it was in Rome that I was served a head-on fish for the first time. I covered the head with the roll, and ate anyway. You can find hotels in this older section of the city, but there are more Roman hotels in the newer areas.

Rome is the only city I saw in Italy, but if I ever get back, I won’t repeat my error. I’ll be booking hotels in Venice, Sicily, Florence….