Edinburgh hosts Scotland's famous Hogmanay New Year's Eve street celebrations.
Hogmanay is the Scottish word for the last day of the year and for the celebrations surrounding it. Edinburgh's modern festival developed into a large, internationally known event featuring concerts, processions, street parties and fireworks around the city's historic centre. Princes Street and the area beneath Edinburgh Castle are strongly associated with the festivities.
The celebration draws on older Scottish customs as well as modern event production. One familiar tradition is “first-footing,” in which the first person to enter a home after midnight is believed to influence the household's luck. Gifts such as whisky, shortbread or coal have traditionally been connected with the custom.
Edinburgh is not the only Scottish city with Hogmanay events. Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee and many smaller communities hold their own celebrations, but Edinburgh's large public festival is the one most commonly identified with the name internationally.