Hogmanay is the name of Scotland’s New Year’s Eve celebration, held in Edinburgh and other cities.
The word refers broadly to Scottish New Year customs and festivities, not only to one event. Modern Hogmanay celebrations can include torchlight processions, street parties, concerts, fireworks, and first-footing visits after midnight. Edinburgh hosts one of the best-known large-scale versions, although local traditions vary throughout Scotland.
Hogmanay became especially prominent in Scotland because Christmas was historically treated less centrally than New Year. The celebration incorporates older seasonal customs, Christian-era practices, and modern public entertainment. First-footing, in which the first visitor to enter a home after midnight brings symbolic gifts, remains one of its best-known traditions.
Hogmanay is often associated with singing “Auld Lang Syne,” but that song is used in many countries and is not the answer to the name of the celebration. Burns Night, held in January, honors poet Robert Burns and is a separate Scottish occasion.