Scotland’s New Year’s Eve celebration is called Hogmanay.
Hogmanay is the Scottish name for the final day of the old year and the associated New Year customs. Celebrations can include torchlight processions, concerts, parties, singing, and traditions such as first-footing. Edinburgh hosts one of the best-known modern Hogmanay events, but the word describes celebrations throughout Scotland rather than only one city festival.
First-footing traditionally concerns the first person to enter a household after midnight. Customs vary, but gifts such as whisky, shortbread, coal, or salt have been associated with bringing warmth, food, and good fortune into the home.
Hogmanay’s exact linguistic origin remains uncertain. Proposed connections include French, Norse, Gaelic, and Scots sources, and no single explanation is universally accepted. It is also separate from Burns Night, held on January 25 to celebrate poet Robert Burns, and St Andrew’s Day, Scotland’s national day on November 30.