Scotland’s traditional New Year celebration is called Hogmanay, and it includes customs such as first-footing.
Hogmanay is the Scots word for New Year’s Eve and, in modern usage, can refer to the wider celebration around the turn of the year. Scottish communities mark it with gatherings, music, fireworks, processions, and visits between households.
First-footing is the custom of being the first person to enter a home after midnight. Traditionally, the first-footer brings symbolic gifts such as coal, shortbread, or whisky, with a dark-haired visitor sometimes considered especially lucky in parts of Scotland.
Hogmanay is distinct from Burns Night, which honors poet Robert Burns on 25 January. Edinburgh’s Hogmanay festivities are among the best-known public New Year events, but celebrations take place throughout Scotland.