Happy Hogmanay = New Year

Hogmanay is the Scottish New Year,celebrated on 31st of December every year, usually in a most exuberant fashion. Celebrations start in the early evening and reach a crescendo by midnight. The bells of Big Ben chime at the turn of midnight, and everyone sings Auld Lang Syne. Elsewhere in Scotland, particulary in more remote parts, Scottish dances, or ceilidhs (pronounced Kayli), take place. For centuries, fire ceremonies: torch light processions, fireball swinging, and lighting of New Years fires, played an important part in the Hogmanay celebrations. And they still do. What's most likely to happen these days is that groups of friends or family get together and do a tour of eah others' houses. Each year, a household takes it in turn to provide a meal for the group. In many parts of Scotland gifts or "Hogmanays are" exchanged after the turn of midnight.