The Scottish name for the New Year's Eve celebration and its surrounding festivities is Hogmanay.
Hogmanay is the Scots word for the final day of the year, although it commonly refers to the wider Scottish New Year celebration. Customs vary by place, but often include street parties, torchlight processions, singing, and visits between households after midnight.
One famous custom is first-footing. The first person to enter a home after midnight is traditionally expected to bring symbolic gifts such as coal, shortbread, salt, or whisky. In some traditions, a tall, dark-haired first-footer is considered especially lucky.
The celebration has layered influences from pre-Christian winter customs, medieval religious practices, and later Scottish social traditions. Edinburgh's large public celebration became internationally known, but Hogmanay is observed across Scotland. It is not the same holiday as Burns Night, which honors poet Robert Burns on January 25.