Hebridean Customs

There are a few difference in Hebridean customs to that you will find on the mainland, particularly England. Even though it's part of the British Isles, there is a marked difference in the culture.

The Highlands and Islands are renowned for their hospitality and friendliness. If you walk into any shop, you will hear quite a lot of banter and chatter - much more so than I ever experienced in England. People stop to say hello and take notice of each other. Of course, in the Outer Hebrides, the communities are quite small, so you will tend to always run into someone you know! Even the person at the till will tend to look at you and have a wee blether at times.

So, if you are out for a walk and you see someone, just wave and say 'hello' or something about the weather - it's good manners here! It doesn't matter if you know them or not, you'll always get a wave. This small gesture will go a long way to integrating into the local community.

If you are invited into someone's home, you will always be offered tea and perhaps a bite to eat - especially if the person is a woman of the older generation. Usually, you are offered a cup of tea and there's this little game of refusing a couple of times until you say "Oh go on then, if you're pouring....". And the not only is the tea brought out (very often in cups and saucers!), but an entire repast of Scotch pancakes, scones, sandwiches, homemade cakes and biscuits is put before you (known in Gaelic as 'an strupag'). And then when you're so full up, the hostess will ask if you're needing more! This is old-fashioned Highland hospitality, found not just in the Islands but all over the Highlands and many other parts of Scotland too. It's a good idea to keep a stock of goodies in your larder for the off chance of visitors coming round. It is rude to not offer anyone a drink of something, even if they are on a flying visit.

Another 'done' thing is when visiting, take something along with you to give to the host/hostess. It doesn't have to be anything grand - even something small like a sweetie for the kids or a packet of biscuits. Just don't go somewhere empty handed! This sort of thing is done in many parts of Scotland, not just the Islands.

Go to Hebridean Recipes

Religious Observances

The first thing you notice is that there are no Sunday sailings from Stornoway or Tarbert to the mainland and until recently, you couldn't get from Harris to N. Uist on a Sunday either. This may change, but for now it is something to accept and adjust to, instead of complain about.

If you are in a village in Lewis or Harris, there are a few customs on a Sunday that it is wise to respect. It's quite frowned upon to hang out the washing on a Sunday as it represents 'work'. It's a day of rest. On the good side of this - it's a lovely, quiet day unlike on the Mainland which has become like any other day with heavy traffic and noise. You don't mow your lawn or run any other machinery apart from a car to get to Church! Children generally aren't allowed to go out and play with others (the exception is unless other families aren't particularly religious). The very strictly religious won't even go visiting others on a Sunday, watch TV or listen to music. Not only is it a day of rest, but a day of worship - they'll go to church services maybe even twice. My neighbour told me once that where he grew up in N. Uist, that even the cockerels were put in a 'box' to not only prevent them making noise on a Sunday but to stop them from 'procreating'! But having listened to his stories of what life was like in his mother's or grandmother's time, Sunday really was the only day in their hard subsistence (and mostly self-sufficient) lives that they could get a day off!

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