Hogmanay is Scotland's New Year's celebration, known for torchlight processions, fireworks, and communal singing.
The word refers to the Scottish observance of New Year's Eve and the customs surrounding it. Major celebrations have been held in cities such as Edinburgh, where torchlight processions and large outdoor gatherings became especially prominent. Edinburgh's festivities form one of the best-known New Year's events in the United Kingdom.
Scottish Hogmanay customs include “first-footing,” in which the first person to enter a home after midnight is believed to influence the household's luck for the coming year. Traditional gifts can include coal, shortbread, salt, and whisky, symbolizing warmth, food, flavor, and good cheer.
Hogmanay is sometimes confused with Burns Night, which honors poet Robert Burns on January 25. Burns Night is connected with Auld Lang Syne through Burns's authorship, but it is not Scotland's New Year's celebration.