Scotland’s New Year celebration, famous for first-footing, is called Hogmanay.
Hogmanay is the Scottish celebration of the final day of the year and the arrival of the new one. Its customs include singing, visiting friends and family, torchlight events, street parties, and the practice known as first-footing. In that tradition, the first person to enter a home after midnight is expected to bring good fortune, traditionally with gifts such as coal, shortbread, salt, or whisky.
Edinburgh’s Hogmanay became internationally known for its large organized celebrations, including a major street party and torchlight procession. Customs differ across Scotland, so there is no single nationwide Hogmanay ritual observed identically everywhere.
The word’s exact origin is disputed. Proposed explanations connect it with Scots, French, Norse, or Gaelic linguistic influences. Hogmanay is also distinct from Burns Night, held on January 25 to celebrate poet Robert Burns, and St Andrew’s Day, Scotland’s national day on November 30.