Edinburgh’s New Year celebration is called Hogmanay.
Hogmanay is the Scots word for New Year’s Eve and also the name commonly used for Scotland’s wider New Year celebrations. Edinburgh’s modern festival developed into a major public event featuring concerts, street parties, torchlight processions and fireworks.
Scottish Hogmanay customs 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. Singing “Auld Lang Syne,” a song associated with the Scottish poet Robert Burns, is another internationally recognized tradition.
Hogmanay is not the same as Burns Night, held on January 25, or St Andrew’s Day, Scotland’s national day on November 30. Edinburgh’s event is one expression of a celebration observed throughout Scotland, with local customs varying by region.