Edinburgh hosts the Hogmanay New Year's Eve festival famous for its torchlight procession.
Hogmanay is the Scottish word for New Year's Eve and also the name of Scotland's New Year celebrations. Edinburgh's modern festival developed into a large, organized event featuring street parties, concerts, fireworks, and the torchlight procession. Thousands of participants have carried flaming torches through the city toward a central gathering point.
The celebration draws on older Scottish customs while also reflecting the distinctive importance of New Year in Scotland. In Scottish tradition, “first-footing” involves the first person to enter a household after midnight, traditionally bringing symbolic gifts such as coal, shortbread, or whisky.
Edinburgh's festival is not the only Hogmanay celebration in Scotland. Cities and towns across the country mark the occasion in their own ways. The torchlight procession, however, is particularly associated with Edinburgh's internationally known event.