Fastern’s Eve: Scotland’s Carnival and Winter’s Last Festival

Sunday 24 January, 11:15-12:00 PM

Presentation at The Taibhsear Collective’s Online Zoom Event, Winter’s Last: A Celebration of Scottish Folklore, Traditions and Community Practices.

This session illuminates the history and traditions of Fastern’s Eve, the Scottish iteration of the pre-Lent Carnival. During the medieval and early modern periods, Fastern’s Eve – falling in February or March depending on the date of Easter – developed a unique character and significance within Scotland, as customs of food, football, wedding and war accumulated around the great feast before the fast. This presentation, interspersed with dramatic readings from Scottish literary and historical records, will lead the audience through the vibrant, varied and sometimes violent customs of this Carnival: the last great winter festival of the Christian year. It will show how Scots in the past interacted with, understood, and made use of this special seasonal occasion and its folk customs, and to what extent such traditions survive.

Performers and Organisations: Taylor Aucoin, John Ritchie, The Taibhsear Collective

Click Here for Tickets and Further Information on Winter’s Last (2021)

Check out the trailer for Winter’s Last below.

Read more about Merry Shrovetide, check out past festivals from 2019, 2018 and 2017, or learn about the history of Carnival in Britain.