Scotland’s New Year’s Eve celebration known for torchlight processions and fire festivals is Hogmanay.
Hogmanay is the Scots word for the last day of the year and for the Scottish New Year celebration. Edinburgh hosts one of the best-known modern events, with a torchlight procession, concerts, street festivities, and a large midnight fireworks display.
The celebration includes older customs as well as contemporary public events. First-footing, for example, traditionally involves the first person to enter a household after midnight bringing gifts such as coal, shortbread, or whisky. The visitor’s identity and the gift were historically associated with good fortune for the household.
Hogmanay is not simply another name for Christmas. In Scotland, New Year customs have long held particular cultural importance, partly because Christmas celebrations were historically more restrained in some periods. Local Hogmanay traditions vary widely across Scotland.