hogmanay

Everyday

(Scotland) The Scottish name for New Year's Eve, 31 December, and the parties and customs that celebrate the start of the new year. tree →

In the lessons

In lessons about festivals and the UK, Hogmanay is a big celebration in Scotland with fireworks, street parties in Edinburgh, and singing «Auld Lang Syne» at midnight. A custom called «first-footing» says the first visitor to a home after midnight brings luck, ideally a tall, dark-haired person carrying coal, shortbread or a gift.

Examples

• We went to Edinburgh for Hogmanay. tree →
• At Hogmanay, everyone sang «Auld Lang Syne». tree →
• Gran sets out shortbread for first-footers at Hogmanay. tree →
• The fireworks at Hogmanay lit up the castle. tree →
• In Scotland, Hogmanay is sometimes bigger than Christmas. tree →
• We stayed up until midnight on Hogmanay. tree →

Note

Always a capital H. Said «hog-muh-NAY». Mostly Scottish; elsewhere people say «New Year's Eve». The origin of the word is not certain.