Hogmanay is Scotland's famous New Year's Eve celebration, especially associated with Edinburgh.
The word refers to the Scottish New Year festival and its related customs, which include street parties, torchlight processions, concerts, and singing “Auld Lang Syne.” Edinburgh’s modern Hogmanay festivities became internationally known for large public events around the city center and Edinburgh Castle.
Scottish New Year customs also include first-footing, in which the first person to enter a home after midnight is traditionally expected to bring symbolic gifts such as coal, shortbread, or whisky. Customs vary by region and household, so Hogmanay is broader than one particular ritual.
Hogmanay is sometimes mistaken for Burns Night, which honors poet Robert Burns on January 25. St Andrew’s Day, meanwhile, celebrates Scotland’s patron saint on November 30.