Hogmanay is the Scottish name for New Year's celebrations, especially the night of December 31.
The word refers to a major Scottish festival whose customs can continue through New Year's Day and January 2. Edinburgh's Hogmanay is particularly famous for torchlight processions, concerts, street parties, and fireworks, while communities across Scotland mark the occasion in their own ways.
A well-known Hogmanay custom is first-footing: the first person to enter a household after midnight is traditionally expected to bring symbolic gifts such as coal, shortbread, salt, or whisky. In older tradition, a tall, dark-haired first-footer was considered especially lucky, although modern practice varies widely.
Hogmanay also has strong links with “Auld Lang Syne,” the song associated with Robert Burns. The festival's exact word origin is uncertain, with proposed connections to French, Norse, and Gaelic sources, so claims that give one definitive etymology should be treated cautiously.