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New Year's Day (January 1)

The night before New Year's Day, many British citizens watch as the clock tower's minute hand finally reaches midnight. (The tower is popularly but incorrectly known as "Big Ben," which is actually the name of the large bellwithin it.) At this time, Big Ben (the bell) rings in the new year.

Many people celebrate either by having parties at home or by going out to pubs and partying with friends. Some people also make new year's resolutions, as is customary in the United States and many other countries around the world. In Scotland, it is a common tradition to sing "Auld Lang Syne" at midnight to bring in the new year.

Big Ben

One of the most widely known symbols of New Year's Eve is the image of the Clock Tower at the Palace of Westminster, in London, counting down the last minutes of the old year. The first chimes of Big Ben, the bell housed in the Clock Tower, in the new year are broadcast live on radio and television.

This is followed by a spectacular fireworks performance, often centered on the London Eye, which is claimed to be the largest Ferris wheel in Europe.

Hogmanay (December 31–January 2)

In Scotland, the New Year's celebration is referred to as "Hogmanay," and it can last through January 2, which is considered a bank holiday. In some parts of England and in Scotland, it is considered good luck if the first person to enter one's home on New Year's Day is a man, while it is considered bad luck if a woman is the first to enter. In a tradition known as "first footing," a male friend enters a friend's home and usually gives a small ceremonial gift.
Scotland's Hogmanay celebrations guarantee a warm welcome and more new friends than you ever knew you had, all in a frenzy of goodwill! At midnight, sing along with Auld Lang Syne. For an unforgettable Hogmanay break, it's got to be Scotland.

Aberdeen
For something a little different, enjoy a traditional Hogmanay ceilidh at the Beach Ballroom in Aberdeen, with music from the Hipflask Ceilidh Band. Aberdeen Hogmanay won't disappoint!

Hogmanay in Edinburgh
When it comes to Hogmanay, Edinburgh certainly knows how to put on a show whether it's the famous Edinburgh Hogmanay street party and spectacular firework display or a toe-tapping ceilidh and concert in Princes Street Gardens. This year Edinburgh's Hogmanay celebrates the start of a new year! Join in with a whole host of events, parades, parties and more to welcome in the new year. Book your tickets for the events that take your fancy, from the Party at the Bells to performances from Dougie Maclean, Eddi Reader and Breabach, to name a few - you'll be in for a festive few days to celebrate Edinburgh's New Year in style!
When the clock strikes midnight, gather your friends and family to raise a toast to a brighter year!

Stonehaven Fireballs
In Stonehaven they really turn up the heat at New Year! One of many winter fire festivals unique to Scotland, this fireballs parade in Aberdeenshire is a powerful spectacle to behold. It's a free Hogmanay event which has been
celebrated for over 100 years and it always attracts a large crowd. Traditionally, it was a cleansing ritual to burn off any bad spirits left from the old year so that the New Year can begin clean and purified. Watch in awe asthe piper leads the procession marching down the street just before midnight as they swing balls of fire above their head in the ultimate test of bravery for the ultimate Stonehaven Hogmanay.

Twelfth Night and Epiphany (January 5–6)

In the UK, some consider it bad luck to leave Christmas decorations up past the day of Epiphany, so many people choose to take them down on January 5, which is also known as "Twelfth Night." Some people host parties and serve Twelfth Night cakes, which have had one dried pea and one dried bean baked into them. If you are one of the lucky party-goers who receives one of them in your slice of cake, you are crowned "king" or "queen" of the evening.

Epiphany, which occurs the day after Twelfth Night, is a Christian holiday that celebrates the coming of the Magi after the birth of Christ. Some people attend a church service on this day to commemorate the occasion.

The English church officially celebrates Twelfth Night on 5 January, the night before Epiphany which is the day when, in the nativity story, the wise men visited the infant Jesus. Others, traditionally, count the twelve days as beginning after Christmas Day and so celebrate it on the day and night of 6 January.

Either way, Twelfth Night was the best party of the year and marked the end of Christmas – it was seen out with games, feasting and merry-making that almost exceeded Christmas Day itself. All the elements we’ve talked about in these posts – from masques to meals, from drinking to games – were dialled up for Twelfth Night, making it a night to remember (or forget!).

Two long-standing traditions are the Twelfth Night Cake and the election of a King and Queen of Misrule for the night. Originally made with yeast and dried fruit, as the price of sugar came down the Twelfth Night Cake came to resemble a fruitcake.

Most importantly, the cake would contain a dried bean and a dried pea – if a man found the bean, he would be king for the evening and if a woman found the pea she would be the queen. If a woman found the bean she could choose the king and vice versa. A clove was also used to designate ‘the Knave’, with other characters nominated by items such as coins, thimbles, and rings. The king and queen then presided over the rest of the evening’s entertainments. In a neat twist, the modern practice of hiding a coin in the Christmas pudding is the legacy of this traditional Twelfth Cake.
Robert Herrick’s poem Twelfe-Night, or King and Queene, published in 1648, describes the election of king and queen by bean and pea in a plum cake, and the homage done to them by the draining of wassail bowls of lamb’s-wool, a mulled ale drink with sugar, nutmeg, and ginger.

Burns Night (January 25)

Burns Night is celebrated in honor of the Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759–1796), one of our most famousand celebrated Scots. He is best known for writing the song "Auld Lang Syne," which is traditionally sung at the stroke of midnight when New Year's Eve becomes New Year's Day. Many Scots celebrate Burns' Night by eating haggis, a savory pudding made from sheep puck and other ingredients, and reading the poet's works aloud with company. One such work, entitled "Address tae the Haggis," is a particular favorite. See the video below for a recorded reading.

Known in medieval Celtic culture as a story teller, verse maker and composer, the word ‘Bard’ has become synonymous with the world’s greatest poets. However, few are as celebrated as Scotland’s own ‘National Bard’, Robert Burns, who we pay tribute to on 25 January each year.

Edimburgh Castle

Robert Burns