Scotland’s New Year’s Eve celebration, associated with the tradition of first-footing, is called Hogmanay.
Hogmanay is the Scottish celebration of the New Year. Its customs include singing “Auld Lang Syne,” torchlight events, parties, and first-footing. In first-footing, the first person to enter a household after midnight is traditionally expected to bring symbolic gifts such as food, drink, or coal. Dark-haired first-footers were historically considered especially lucky in some areas, though practices vary.
The word Hogmanay has an uncertain origin, with proposed connections to Scots, French, Norse, and Gaelic sources. Scotland’s New Year traditions were shaped by local history and by periods when Christmas celebrations were less prominent in Scotland after the Reformation.
Hogmanay is broader than Edinburgh’s famous street party. Celebrations occur throughout Scotland, from large city events to family gatherings. Burns Night, held on January 25, honors poet Robert Burns and is a separate occasion, even though Burns’s version of “Auld Lang Syne” is commonly sung at Hogmanay.