Hogmanay is the Scottish New Year celebration held on December 31st, with traditions originating from pagan winter solstice festivals. Some key customs include first-footing, where the first visitor of the new year brings gifts; fireball swinging, where flaming balls are swung on chains; and burning the clavie, a bonfire of casks on January 11th. The celebration continues for several days and involves singing Auld Lang Syne, written by Robert Burns, at midnight to usher in the new year.

1. Hogmanay

2. Hogmanay is the New Year in Scotland. It is the
biggest celebration in Scotland and carry on for the
longest period of time. Hogmanay is the Scot‟s word
for the last day of the year, 31st December.

3. Hogmanay has its origin in pagan times, an ancient
time when the people would hold festivals for the
sun and fire in the middle of the winter, to help
them go through the cold hard times and to
encourage the warmth and the longer days to
return in the spring.

4. Hogmanay toasts
A traditional Scottish New Year toast is: “Lang may yer
lum reek!”
Another New Year toast said by Scottish people is: “A
guid New Year to ane an' a' and mony may ye see”

5. Customs
There are many customs associated with
Hogmanay. The most widespread national
customs:
• „first-footing‟
• fireball swinging
• burning the clavie
• saining (Scots for 'protecting, blessing') of the
household and livestock
• singing "Auld Lang Syne"

6. „First - footing‟
It 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. The first-foot is supposed to set the luck
for the rest of the year.

7. Fireball swinging
This involves local people making up 'balls' of
chicken wire filled with old newspaper, sticks, rags,
and other dry flammable material up to a diameter
of 2 feet, each attached to about 3 feet of wire,
chain or nonflammable rope.

8. Burning the clavie
The clavie is a bonfire of casks split in two, lighted on
11 January. One of these casks is joined together again
by a huge nail. It is then filled with tar, lighted and
carried flaming round the village and finally up to a
headland upon which stands the ruins of an altar,
locally called the Douro. It here forms the nucleus of
the bonfire, which is built up of split casks.

9. "Auld Lang Syne“
It is sung at the stroke of midnight in almost every
English-speaking country in the world to bring in the
New Year. It was written by Robert Burns. An old
Scottish tune, "Auld Lang Syne" literally means "old
long ago," or simply, "the good old days."

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