Sample Application Form from David Gibson
New Year Traditions Exhibit at Gibson House Museum
A collaboration between Earl Haig and Gibson House Museum
The exhibition New Year Traditions is a collaborative project that will be displayed in the
Discovery Gallery at Gibson House Museum from mid-December to the end of
February. We invite Earl Haig students to share their personal experiences of their own
new year's celebrations in written and/or video formats and to submit photos and/or
objects related to their new year's celebrations. Student contributions will be displayed
in the exhibition, along with artifacts from the City of Toronto, in order to present the
ways that different cultures celebrate their new year. In celebration of the exhibit,
contributing students and their families will be invited to an event at the museum on
February 21st.
Your responses to the guiding questions below could make you one of the 15 students
who will be selected to contribute stories to be prominently featured in the exhibit. The
museum is looking for applicants who tell compelling stories about how they mark their
new year, who come from culturally diverse backgrounds and who have objects or video
content to contribute to the exhibit. All students who submit an application will be
included in a catalogue that will accompany the exhibit. Students who are selected are
required to attend a minimum of two meetings before or after school to develop content
for the exhibit.
Please provide the following information about yourself:
Name: David Gibson
Grade: N/A
Culture represented: Scottish
Email: gibsonhousemuseum@toronto.ca
1. Please complete at least 3 of the following statements:
a) My favourite food to eat during my new year's celebration is….
During my new year celebration, called Hogmanay, my family and I eat my favourite
traditional Scottish foods. My wife, Eliza Gibson, prepares fresh haggis, which is a
savoury pudding that is made with lamb, onion, suet, and spices. We always serve
haggis with neeps and tatties which are boiled and mashed turnip and potato. Mrs.
Gibson always prepares the haggis on the morning of new year's day, which is
January 1st for us, so it is always fresh. I love smelling the haggis cooking on our
open hearth and Mrs. Gibson always gives me a little taste of the haggis before we
sit down to dinner.
b) One way that celebrating the new year is different for my family since coming to
Canada is…
I moved to Canada from Angus, Scotland when I was a young man. In Scotland,
Hogmanay – what we call our new year celebration, is celebrated by everyone, but
in Canada, many people celebrate different traditions for new years. In Scotland, my
family would always have a traditional meal followed by singing and dancing in the
parlour of our family home. I have continued these traditions with my family here in
Canada. The biggest difference is during Hogmanay in Scotland is after dinner,
Scottish people would go out on the streets to celebrate new year's together as part
of a big street celebration. In Canada, we do not go out to celebrate new year's with
other neighbours; we just celebrate with our own family.
c) My favourite memory of celebrating the new year is…
My favourite memory of celebrating new year was in Scotland when I was just a boy.
My grandmother always made the very best haggis, and I would look forward to it
months before Hogmanay. She started some of our own family traditions around
Hogmanay. For instance, Grandmother would always wake us up early in the
morning on new year's day to collect firewood. Every year, she had hidden little
sweets on the way to the barn for us to find. She only did this on Hogmanay, and it
was a special tradition that only my grandmother and my brothers and sisters
practiced.
d) For me, no celebration of the new year would be complete without….
During Hogmanay, Scottish people have a tradition called the first-foot. The first
person to enter a home on new year's day is a bringer of good fortune. In Scottish
culture, it is considered lucky for the first footer to be a tall dark-haired male. The first
footer usually brings gifts with him including food, money and whisky. These gifts
symbolise prosperity, food, flavour, warmth and good cheer.
e) To prepare for the new year my family always…
My family always starts preparations for the new year by thoroughly cleaning the
house. Mrs. Gibson and my daughters sweep the house clean and dust the parlour.
The boys clean their room and shine their shoes. We decorate the house with
greenery, so it always smells crisp and fresh in the kitchen. Mrs. Gibson lights the
hearth and starts preparing the meal early in the day. During Hogmanay
celebrations, we always wear our best outfit. My daughters work for a few weeks
before the holidays to prepare their dresses and bows to wear. Often we will invite
guests and neighbours to join us for our Hogmanay dinner, so I send out invitations
to invite them to join us a week or so in advance.
2. What objects or photos can you loan to the museum to help tell the story of your
New Years tradition?
I have a picture of my family enjoying a Hogmanay meal
I have a picture of my grandmother, who started our own family traditions.
I have the traditional kilt of a first-footer that can be displayed
I have a special set of dishes that we only use during our new years celebration that
could be displayed.
3. Optional: What video content (clips or interviews) could you create to help tell your
story?
I can interview Mrs. Gibson to find out what she cooks for our Hogmanay meal and
how she prepares specific dishes.
I can provide a clip of traditional dances that we perform during new years
Please email your application to: Laura Gibbs, lgibbs@toronto.ca by October 24th
at 5:00 p.m. and submit a signed paper copy to Mrs. Jundler.
Please see attached loan agreement for terms and conditions.
I give permission to Gibson House Museum and the City of Toronto to use content from
this application in the museum as part of the exhibition: New Year Traditions and in any
marketing or promotion.
Signed: ________________________________________
Date: __________________________________________