Hogmanay is the Scottish name for the New Year's Eve celebration known for torchlight processions and “Auld Lang Syne.” The word refers to the Scottish observance surrounding the end of the old year and the arrival of the new one, not to a single song or one particular parade.
Modern Hogmanay celebrations can include street parties, concerts, fireworks, first-footing, and torchlight events. Edinburgh hosts one of the best-known public celebrations, while communities throughout Scotland maintain their own traditions. First-footing involves the first person to enter a household after midnight, traditionally bringing symbolic gifts such as coal, shortbread, or whisky.
“Auld Lang Syne” is strongly associated with New Year's celebrations internationally, but it is based on a Scots poem published by Robert Burns in 1796. Burns did not create Hogmanay itself; the celebration has older and more complex historical roots involving Scottish seasonal customs.
Hogmanay is often incorrectly used as the name of a particular Edinburgh event. It is the broader Scottish New Year tradition, while Edinburgh's street party and torchlight procession are specific events within it.