Scotland celebrates New Year's Eve with the Hogmanay tradition of first-footing.
Hogmanay is the Scottish celebration of the last day of the year. One of its best-known customs is first-footing, in which the first person to enter a home after midnight is thought to influence the household's luck for the coming year. Gifts such as food, drink, coal, or salt have traditionally been carried as signs of prosperity and warmth.
The identity of the first visitor can matter in traditional versions of the custom, though practices differ between families and regions. Hogmanay also includes singing, fire festivals, torchlight processions, and the widespread use of “Auld Lang Syne.”
Scotland's celebrations are not limited to Edinburgh: towns and communities across the country mark Hogmanay in their own ways. The term is specifically Scottish, even though many New Year customs are shared internationally.