Debt, money worries and negativity – that is what has been bothering Maryann Hargraves and Joanne Krueger.
And that is what the two women wrote on slips of paper that were tossed into the Hogmanay bonfire at the Brearley House in Lawrence Township on Jan. 1, New Year’s Day.
Writing down bad things and negative thoughts is one of the many traditions associated with Hogmanay, a Scottish holiday that is celebrated by a bonfire on New Year’s Eve. Those bad things and bad thoughts are tossed onto the bonfire.
The bonfire quickly consumed the bad memories and thoughts of Hargraves, Krueger and dozens of other folks who formed a small circle around the bonfire in the Great Meadow.
Hargraves and Krueger are regular attendees at the bonfire and jokingly said they are planning to bring a couple of chairs and some cheese and crackers to the bonfire next year.
The Hogmanay bonfire is traditionally held on New Year’s Eve, but it was postponed to New Year’s Day because of rain. The event is sponsored by the Lawrence Historical Society.
Laurie Hallows grew up in Lawrence Township, but she had never attended the bonfire, in part because she now lives in England. Hallows and her daughter were visiting family in the township.
“This is amazing. It’s fantastic. It’s nice and warm,” Hallows said as she and her daughter and her mother, Barbara Hallows, stood in the circle of people around the bonfire.
Although Hogmanay is a Scottish tradition, Laurie Hallows said the English also have a bonfire on Guy Fawkes Day in November to celebrate the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605, which sought to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London.
Dana Morelli, who was also a first-time visitor to Hogmanay, said she learned of the event on social media. She lives in Ewing Township.
“It’s a great idea to throw bad thoughts from the past onto the bonfire,” Morelli said.
While there were some things that bothered her in 2018, overall it was a good year, she said. The bonfire has inspired her to find out more about Hogmanay.
The bonfire has been a tradition of the Lawrence Historical Society since 1997. It began as a way to showcase the 18th century farmhouse while it was undergoing restoration by Lawrence Township, which owns the house.
The Brearley House was opened to visitors during the bonfire. Some visitors toured the 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. The house remained in the family for several generations, until it left the family’s hands in 1918. Lawrence Township acquired it in the 1970s.
Meanwhile, as the flames began to die down on the bonfire, another year and some bad thoughts went up in flames.