Hogmanay is Scotland's traditional celebration of New Year's Eve and the arrival of the new year. The word refers to the final day of the old year, although its exact origin is disputed. Possible influences include Scots, French, Norse, and Gaelic terms, so no single etymology is universally accepted.
Customs vary across Scotland but commonly include street parties, music, fire rituals, and first-footing. In the first-footing tradition, the first person to enter a home after midnight brings symbolic gifts such as coal, bread, salt, or whisky. A dark-haired first-footer was traditionally considered especially lucky in some regions.
Robert Burns's song “Auld Lang Syne” is strongly associated with Hogmanay, although the song itself is not uniquely Scottish New Year's music. Edinburgh's organized celebrations became internationally famous, while smaller communities preserve distinctive local customs, including torchlight processions and fireball ceremonies.