The Scottish name for New Year's Eve celebrations is Hogmanay.
Hogmanay is the Scottish celebration of the last day of the old year and the arrival of the new one. Its customs include singing “Auld Lang Syne,” visiting friends and relatives, and first-footing: the first person to enter a home after midnight is traditionally expected to bring symbolic gifts such as coal, shortbread, or whisky.
The word's exact origin remains uncertain. Proposed connections include French, Norse, Gaelic, and Scots sources, but no single explanation is universally accepted. The celebration also reflects older winter and year-end customs that developed before modern public countdowns.
Edinburgh's Hogmanay festivities became internationally prominent through organized concerts, street celebrations, and fireworks. Hogmanay is not simply another spelling of New Year's Day: it principally refers to the New Year's Eve period and its associated celebrations, while January 1 is New Year's Day.