Hogmanay is the Scottish name for the New Year's Eve celebration that begins the winter festival season.
Scottish Hogmanay customs vary by region, but many celebrations continue beyond midnight into New Year's Day. Edinburgh is especially famous for its large public festival, which can include concerts, torchlight processions, street events, and fireworks.
A central custom is first-footing. Traditionally, the first person to enter a household after midnight brings symbolic gifts such as coal, shortbread, salt, or whisky. A tall, dark-haired first-foot was once considered especially lucky in some Scottish traditions.
The word Hogmanay has a disputed origin. Proposed links include Scandinavian, French, Gaelic, and Middle English sources, and no explanation is universally accepted. It is therefore safer to identify Hogmanay as the Scottish New Year celebration rather than assign it a definite single-language origin.