Hogmanay is the Scottish word for Scotland’s New Year’s Eve celebrations.
The term refers to the customs and festivities surrounding the final day of the year and the arrival of the new one. Celebrations can include street parties, concerts, torchlight processions, fireworks, traditional songs, and the practice of visiting friends and relatives after midnight.
One especially famous custom is “first-footing.” Traditionally, the first person to enter a household after midnight is expected to bring gifts such as food, drink, coal, or salt. In some traditions, a tall, dark-haired man was considered especially lucky as the first visitor.
Hogmanay is not the same as Burns Night, which honors poet Robert Burns on January 25. It is also distinct from Up Helly Aa, a fire festival held in Shetland. Edinburgh’s Hogmanay festivities are among the best-known modern celebrations, but customs vary across Scotland.