Edinburgh's large New Year's Eve celebration is traditionally called Hogmanay.
Hogmanay is the Scottish name for New Year's Eve and also refers to the wider Scottish celebrations surrounding the change of year. Edinburgh's modern festival is known for torchlight processions, concerts, street parties, and fireworks around the city centre. It has become one of Scotland's best-known cultural events.
Scottish customs associated with Hogmanay include first-footing, in which the first person to enter a home after midnight is welcomed with symbolic gifts. Coal, shortbread, salt, and whisky have all been associated with good fortune and hospitality, although practices vary by region and family.
Hogmanay is not the same event as Burns Night, which commemorates poet Robert Burns on January 25. It is also distinct from St Andrew's Day on November 30. The name's exact linguistic history is debated, but its association with Scottish New Year is firmly established.