Scotland’s New Year’s Eve celebration is called Hogmanay.
Hogmanay includes customs that vary across Scotland, including street parties, torchlight processions, fireworks, singing, and the practice of first-footing. In first-footing, the first person to enter a home after midnight is traditionally expected to bring good fortune.
Edinburgh hosts one of the world’s best-known Hogmanay celebrations, with a torchlight procession and a large outdoor party. The modern festival combines older Scottish customs with organized concerts and public events.
The word Hogmanay has an uncertain origin. Proposed explanations connect it with Scandinavian, Gaelic, French, and other linguistic sources. It is also important not to confuse Hogmanay with Burns Night, which honors poet Robert Burns on January 25.