How to ward off bad spirits
THE Clavie, a burning barrel packed with tar soaked sticks fixed on the top of a pole, is surrounded by people at the Doorie Hill in the fishing village of Burghead on the Moray Firth. This ancient custom is celebrated on January 11 (New Year’s Eve by the Julien Calendar) and the name derives from the Latin clavis which are large nails used to hold together burning baskets of tar to protect against bad spirits and witches.