Hogmanay is the Scottish word for the traditional New Year celebration, especially in Scotland.
The term refers not only to New Year’s Eve but also to the customs and festivities surrounding the transition into the new year. Its exact linguistic origin remains disputed. Proposed influences include French, Norse, Gaelic, and Scots vocabulary, so no single etymology is universally accepted.
Scottish Hogmanay customs include singing “Auld Lang Syne,” visiting friends and relatives, and first-footing. In first-footing, the first person to enter a household after midnight traditionally brings symbolic gifts such as coal, shortbread, salt, or whisky. Older beliefs sometimes favored a tall, dark-haired first-footer as especially lucky.
Hogmanay is often confused with Burns Night, but Burns Night commemorates the poet Robert Burns on January 25. Hogmanay is a New Year observance, while Burns Night is a separate Scottish cultural celebration.