Hogmanay is the traditional Scottish celebration held on New Year's Eve.
The word refers to the final day of the year and, by extension, to the celebrations that continue through midnight and into New Year’s Day. Modern Hogmanay events can include concerts, torchlight processions, street parties, fireworks, and the singing of “Auld Lang Syne.”
The festival developed within Scotland’s distinctive winter customs and was shaped by religious and social history. Christmas celebrations were once restricted in parts of Scotland after the Reformation, which helped make New Year festivities especially prominent. Practices vary by region and household.
Hogmanay should not be confused with Burns Night, which honors poet Robert Burns on January 25, or St Andrew’s Day, Scotland’s national day on November 30. “First-footing,” the arrival of the first visitor after midnight, is a related custom rather than another name for the entire celebration.