Hogmanay is the Scottish name for Edinburgh's major New Year's Eve festival. Edinburgh's celebration includes a torchlight procession, concerts, street events, and a midnight fireworks display, making the city one of the world's best-known destinations for welcoming the new year.
The word Hogmanay describes the Scottish New Year's Eve observance, not just one particular event in Edinburgh. Its precise origin is uncertain; proposed links include Scots, French, Norse, and Gaelic words. Scotland's strong Hogmanay traditions developed partly because Christmas celebrations were restricted after the Scottish Reformation and remained relatively subdued for centuries.
A famous custom is first-footing: the first person to enter a home after midnight traditionally brings symbolic gifts such as whisky, shortbread, or coal. The singing of “Auld Lang Syne,” the poem associated with Robert Burns, is also closely linked with the celebration.