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the Coldest Day in Scotland
Feb 11
Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day
Today's Musings, History & Folklore
"Cauld blaws the wind frae east to west,
The drift is driving sairly.
Sae loud and shrill’s I hear the blast –
I’m sure it’s winter fairly!
Chorus
Up in the morning’s no for me,
Up in the morning early!
When a’ the hills are covered wi’ snaw,
I’m sure it’s winter fairly!
The birds sit chittering in the thorn,
A’ day they fare but sparely;
And lang’s the night frae e’en to morn –
I’m sure it’s winter fairly."
~ Traditional with stanzas by Robert Burns
"There's the Scottish 'burr' and then there's the Scottish 'brrrrrrrr'!" If you're the type who doesn't mind dancing in a cardigan, overcoat, mittens or hat, join the club! It's cold out there lately!
This 2 couple jig, which dates to at least 1718, has a interesting background! It's namesake tune “Cold and Raw,” also known as “Stingo,” has a complex history, spanning from its publication in The English Dancing Master (1651) to its adaptation by major composers like Henry Purcell and John Gay. Despite Purcell’s irritation at Queen Mary II’s preference for the folk tune over his own compositions, he later incorporated it into a royal birthday song in 1692. The melody continued to evolve, inspiring Scottish adaptations such as John Hamilton’s Up in the Morning Early, which was later reworked by Robert Burns.
And speaking of chilly weather, Braemar in Aberdeenshire holds the record for the lowest recorded temperature in Scotland at -27.2°C (-16.96°F), recorded first in Feb 11, 1895, and then again on Jan 10, 1982. Braemar is the third coldest low lying place in the UK, after the villages of Dalwhinnie and Leadhills, with an annual average temperature of 6.8 °C. In truth, however, that seems positively balmy compared to the lowest natural temperature ever directly recorded at ground level on Earth: −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F,) which was measured at the Soviet Vostok Station in Antarctica. Best to keep warm with a bit of dancing! Brrrrrr! 💙 💙 💙 ❄️ ❄️ ❄️ 🌡️
Cold and Raw
On the 31st of January, 2019, The lowest temperature in the UK for seven years was recorded at the same location that Scotland has measured the coldest temperatures.
Residents of Braemar in north-east Scotland experienced a temperature of -14.4C (6.1F), the lowest temperature in the UK since 2012 when it reached -15.6C (3.9F) at Holbeach, Lincolnshire.
Though other places boast colder temperatures, the wind chill and rain can make for shivery and dreich days.
Many strange cold weather phenomenon occurs in Scotland including:
Ice Pancakes
Nacreous Clouds
Hair Ice
Snow Rollers
Fog Bows
Noctilucent Clouds
Broken Spectre
For some photography capturing these fascinating cold weather phenomenon, click the cartoon!
Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!