Scotland's traditional New Year's celebration is called Hogmanay.
Hogmanay includes customs that vary across Scotland, but Edinburgh's festival is especially well known for torchlight processions, concerts, street parties, and a midnight fireworks display. Celebrations can begin before December 31 and continue into January 1 and January 2, which are public holidays in Scotland.
A major custom is “first-footing.” Traditionally, the first person to enter a household after midnight is expected to bring symbolic gifts such as coal, shortbread, salt, or whisky. The visitor's arrival is associated with the household's luck for the coming year.
Hogmanay is not simply another name for Christmas. Historical explanations for its development include pre-Christian winter customs, medieval influences, and Scotland's Reformation-era restrictions on Christmas festivities. Robert Burns's “Auld Lang Syne” is closely connected with Hogmanay, but the song itself is used internationally.