Edinburgh stages Scotland's large torchlight procession before its Hogmanay celebrations.
Edinburgh's Hogmanay is a major New Year's festival, and the Torchlight Procession traditionally leads participants through the city toward a ceremonial gathering. Thousands of people carry flaming torches, creating a moving river of light against the city's historic streets and hills. The exact route and event arrangements can vary between years.
The procession draws on older Scottish and Northern European midwinter fire customs, although its modern form is a comparatively recent organized event. Fire has long been associated with cleansing, protection, and the ending of one season before another begins.
Hogmanay itself is the Scottish term for New Year's Eve festivities. Edinburgh also hosts concerts, street events, and the midnight singing of “Auld Lang Syne,” but the torchlight event should not be confused with the Stonehaven Fireballs, a separate Scottish New Year tradition held in Aberdeenshire.