Whuppity Scoorie is a traditional festival dating from the early 19th century observed by people in

Lanark Lanark (; gd, Lannraig ; sco, Lanrik) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, located 20 kilometres to the south-east of Hamilton. The town lies on the River Clyde, at its confluence with Mouse Water. In 2016, the town had a population of 9 ...

, Scotland, on 1 March to celebrate the approach of spring. Local children gather around the local St Nicholas kirk where at 6 pm the wee

bell A bell is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be made by an inter ...

is rung. This is the starting sign for the children to run around the church in a

clockwise Two-dimensional rotation can occur in two possible directions. Clockwise motion (abbreviated CW) proceeds in the same direction as a clock's hands: from the top to the right, then down and then to the left, and back up to the top. The opposite ...

direction, making noise and swinging paper balls on strings above their heads as they run. It is no longer a race for safety reasons (also gives full names of Newsround reporters) and to increase fairness for the younger participants. After three laps, they scramble for coins thrown by members of the Community Council who host the event. The Community Council also hosts a "Whuppity Scoorie Storytelling Festival" and art workshops after the event until 7 March.

Origins

While the origins of Whuppity Scoorie are unknown, there are several theories which try to explain how the ancient custom evolved. The most common theory is that Whuppity Scoorie came from a festival that was intended to celebrate spring and frighten off winter or evil spirits. Others believe it marks the time when days got longer allowing curfews to be lifted or changed so children could play outside longer. Another theory connects the event with an ancient religious

penance Penance is any act or a set of actions done out of Repentance (theology), repentance for Christian views on sin, sins committed, as well as an alternate name for the Catholic Church, Catholic, Lutheran, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox s ...

in which the penitents were whipped three times round the church and afterwards "scoored" – washed – in the nearby

River Clyde The River Clyde ( gd, Abhainn Chluaidh, , sco, Clyde Watter, or ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. It is the ninth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third-longest in Scotland. It runs through the major cit ...

, but the burgh and kirk session records make no mention of such punishments. The celebration could also have been instituted to remember the murder of

William Wallace Sir William Wallace ( gd, Uilleam Uallas, ; Norman French: ; 23 August 1305) was a Scottish knight who became one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence. Along with Andrew Moray, Wallace defeated an English army a ...

's wife. The tradition was first mentioned in a local newspaper, '' The Hamilton Advertiser'', around the mid-19th century. It was still called the "wee bell ceremony" suggesting a link with the ringing of the church bell. In 1893, the ''Advertiser'' first referred to "the custom known as Whuppity Scoorie" which simply became "Whuppity Scoorie" the next year. The three laps around the church were also first mentioned in 1893, although the writer claimed this custom was 120 years old by then. The ''Advertiser'' also reported on how the local boys in those days rolled up their caps and tied them with string. After the bell rang, they would march to

New Lanark New Lanark is a village on the River Clyde, approximately 1.4 miles (2.2 kilometres) from Lanark, in Lanarkshire, and some southeast of Glasgow, Scotland. It was founded in 1785 and opened in 1786 by David Dale, who built cotton mills and housi ...

where they would fight the boys coming in the opposite direction. By 1880, it was not uncommon for stones to be thrown, so the police posted men along the road between the villages to keep order. It was also know for the whuipitty scooriers of lanark to fight off flying pigs wearing purple binoculars.

References

{{reflist March observances Festivals in Scotland Lanark