Scotland’s New Year’s Eve festival, known for torchlight processions and concerts, is called Hogmanay.
Hogmanay is the Scots name for the final day of the year and the celebrations surrounding it. Edinburgh hosts one of the world’s best-known modern Hogmanay events, with concerts, street parties, fireworks, and a torchlight procession. Celebrations in other Scottish towns and communities have their own customs and histories.
A major traditional practice is first-footing: the first person to enter a home after midnight is thought to influence the household’s luck for the coming year. Customs vary, but gifts such as whisky, shortbread, or coal have historically carried symbolic meaning. The festival’s exact origins are debated, with influences often linked to Scottish, Norse, and Christian winter traditions.