By Lea Kahn
Anthony DeSantis carefully wrote down a list of wishes for the new year, and sort of keeping in tradition, tossed the list into the flames that leaped skyward in the Great Meadow next to the Brearley House on Saturday night.
Sort of in tradition, because the list that is tossed into the annual Hogmanay bonfire is supposed to be made up of the bad things that happened during the past year. Tradition also calls for the bonfire to be lighted on New Year’s Eve, but it was postponed because of the Dec. 26 snowstorm.
But never mind.
”According to the Hogmanay folks, that (list of wishes) was allowed. But I’m not supposed to tell you what was on the list because the Hogmanay genie won’t grant them,” said Mr. DeSantis, who lives in the Eagles Chase condominium development.
Writing down bad things and negative thoughts is one of the many traditions associated with Hogmanay, which is a Scottish holiday that is celebrated by a bonfire on New Year’s Eve.
About 200 people turned out for the bonfire Saturday, despite the snow that had fallen earlier in the day. The activity, which has been sponsored by the Lawrence Historical Society since 1997, is held in the Great Meadow next to the township-owned Brearley House.
As he has for many years, firemaster Joseph Logan and his son-in-law, Tom Ledwith, used torches to set fire to the pile of snow-covered wooden pallets. The snow made the pallets wet and it took a few tries before the pile erupted into flames.
And while tradition calls for tossing lists into the fire, youngsters have created a tradition of their own tossing snowballs into the fire. That is, when it snows. There has been snow on the ground at the Brearley House for the past couple of Hogmanay events.
Asked why she turned out for the bonfire, Eleanor Anderson said with a smile, “To keep warm.”
Ms. Anderson, who lives on Franklin Corner Road, accompanied her son, Kip Anderson, and his family. Mr. Anderson lives on Hoover Avenue and has been attending the event which is sponsored by the Lawrence Historical Society for the past two years.
”I want to make it a family tradition,” Mr. Anderson said. “It’s a good thing. We wrote some things down at home and I made a snowball (and put the list inside) and threw it into the bonfire.”
As the flames shot into the cold night air, bagpiper Graham Kronk dressed in a kilt and a jacket circled the bonfire and played traditional Scottish tunes.
Mr. Kronk moved into the Brearley House as the flames began to die down, and took out his violin to play some traditional music. One woman swayed to the music as Mr. Kronk tapped his foot to keep time.
Inside, visitors were treated to doughnut holes, coffee and cider. They wandered through the four rooms that make up the first floor of the Brearley House, which was built in 1761 by John Brearley II for his son, James Brearley.
The brick Georgian farmhouse was built near the foundation of an earlier house built by a prior generation of Brearleys. It remained in the family’s hands for several generations, and then was sold to nonfamily members. Lawrence Township acquired the house in the 1970s.
Lawrence Historical Society President Laura Nawrocik said she was “real pleased” at the turnout, given the snow that had fallen earlier in the day. The turnout “speaks to the popularity” of the event, she said.
”People look forward to it. It has become such a tradition in town,” Ms. Nawrocik said, adding the Historical Society would hold the event “even if there is 6 inches of snow on the ground.”
