Issue Thirteen · Page 150Autumn and Winter 2026–27 · page 150Into the Gloaming.
Inspired by her new book, Gloaming: Folklore, Recipes and Crafts to Spark Glimmers of Joy in the Darker Months, Rosie Steer explores how our ancestors learned to find the light and embrace the darkness in autumn and winter
WordsRosie SteerPhotographyChristian Watson
Photograph · Christian Watson
Bagpipes. Tartan. Haggis. Shortbread. Scotland is known for many clichés, but there’s one in particular where, perhaps, there’s a wee nugget of truth: that of our sometimes dreich (dreary) weather and infamously long winters. ‘There are two seasons in Scotland: June and Winter,’ so said legendary actor, musician and comedian Billy Connolly. He’s exaggerating, of course – that’s what makes it funny – but on a gloomy day in November, or as storms lash the windows in February, perhaps it’s funny because sometimes he’s not that far off the truth.
Our geographical position means that our winters are – yes, fact, not cliché – often long and dark because of our northern latitude. This means our days shrink to between six and eight hours of daylight midwinter depending on where you are in Scotland – an hour or even two less of daylight than in the south of England (although it’s worth remembering that this is flipped in summer, when it barely seems to get dark in the northernmost parts of Scotland). The darker half of the year – or “nychtin’ time” as it’s sometimes referred to in Scots – is something that is woven into our national identity whether we like it or not.
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Recycled Decorations.
In the past, Yule celebrations were far thriftier: folks would use what they had and turn simple, plain, everyday objects into beautiful decorations. A few years ago, I did an online workshop with artist Jess Wheeler where we made decorations out of old tubes of tomato purée, which sounds like it shouldn’t work but is incredibly effective! The inside of a tomato purée tube is aluminium, usually gold in colour.
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