Edinburgh’s major Scottish New Year’s celebration is called Hogmanay.
Hogmanay is the Scots word for New Year’s Eve and, by extension, the surrounding Scottish celebrations. Edinburgh’s modern festival is internationally known for street parties, concerts, fireworks, and a torchlight procession. Large crowds gather around the city’s historic center, particularly Princes Street and the Old Town.
Scottish Hogmanay customs include first-footing, in which the first person to enter a home after midnight is traditionally expected to bring symbolic gifts such as whisky, shortbread, or coal. The visitor’s appearance and the gifts were historically connected with hopes for prosperity and good luck.
The festival has roots in older winter and New Year customs, but its exact word origin remains debated. Hogmanay should not be confused with Burns Night, held on January 25 to celebrate poet Robert Burns, or St Andrew’s Day, Scotland’s national day on November 30. Edinburgh’s event has also changed over time, with modern public programming developing especially strongly in the late twentieth century.