Hogmanay is the Scottish name for the New Year's Eve celebration traditionally observed across Scotland.
The word describes both the final day of the old year and the wider Scottish New Year festivities. Modern Hogmanay events can include concerts, street parties, fireworks, torchlight processions, and communal singing. Customs vary between places and families, so no single activity defines every celebration.
Hogmanay became especially prominent in Scotland partly because Christmas was historically observed less publicly there after the Reformation. New Year therefore retained a particularly strong role as a season for gatherings, visits, gifts, and rituals.
First-footing is one well-known Hogmanay custom, but it is only one part of the broader celebration. The song “Auld Lang Syne,” associated with the Scottish poet Robert Burns, is also widely sung around the world at New Year, though it is not exclusively Scottish in modern use.