Scotland’s traditional New Year celebration is called Hogmanay.
Hogmanay is the Scottish name for New Year’s Eve and the associated celebrations, which often continue into New Year’s Day. The word is specifically linked with Scotland, although its exact linguistic origin remains debated. Modern celebrations commonly include street parties, concerts, fireworks, torchlight processions, and the custom of first-footing.
In first-footing, the first person to enter a household after midnight is traditionally expected to bring good fortune. Customs vary, but gifts such as shortbread, whisky, coal, or salt have been associated with prosperity and warmth. The first-footer was traditionally ideally a tall, dark-haired man in some regions.
Hogmanay is sometimes confused with Burns Night, which honors poet Robert Burns on January 25, or St Andrew’s Day on November 30. Edinburgh’s large public festivities are famous, but Hogmanay is celebrated throughout Scotland.