Hogmanay Festival

Month : December-January
Place : Scotland
Famous For : Traditional Festival
Attractions : First Footing, Food, Drinks, Exchange of traditional gifts like Salt, Coal, Whisky etc.

Hogmanay is actually the Scottish New Year's Eve Celebration. It's the Scots word for the last day of the year and is observed on the terms with the celebration of the New Year (Gregorian calendar). The festival is of such a grand stature that the night observance is only the start of a celebration which lasts through the night until the morning of New Year's Day. There are some cases where the celebrations extend to 2 January which is a Scottish Bank Holiday.

Major Attractions

The festival of Hogmanay traces its origin back to the celebration of the winter solstice among the Norse, as well as incorporating customs from the Gaelic New Year's celebration of Samhain. There are many customs, both national and local, associated with Hogmanay. The most widespread national custom is the practice of 'first-footing' which starts immediately after midnight. This involves being the first person to cross the threshold of a friend or neighbor and often involves the giving of symbolic gifts such as salt (less common today), coal, shortbread, whisky, and black bun (a rich fruit cake) intended to bring different kinds of luck to the householder. Food and drink (as the gifts) are then given to the guests. This may go on throughout the early hours of the morning and well into the next day (although modern days see people visiting houses well into January). The first-foot is supposed to set the luck for the rest of the year. Traditionally, tall dark men are preferred as the first-foot.