Hogmanay

The nicht o Hogmanay stairts the lang celebration o the new year o the Gregorian calender, wi twa baunk halidays follaein, for ordinar on 1 an 2 Januar.

Hogmanay
Hogmanay in Edinburgh
Offeecial name	Hogmanay
Observed bi	Scots
Teep	National
Signeeficance	The final day o the Gregorian calendar
Celebrations	Reflection; late-night pairtying; faimily gatherins; feasting; gift exchanges; firewarks; coontdoons; watchnicht services; social gaitherins, durin whilk fowk micht dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, an watch or licht firewarks
Date	31 December
Frequency	Annual
Relatit tae	Ne'er's Day

The oreegins o Hogmanay ar unclear but it micht derive frae Gaelic an Norse observances. Customs vary athort Scotland, an fur usual include gift exchangin an peyin visits tae friends an faimily, wi speicial attention bein gien tae the first-fitter, the first body throu the door in the New Year.

The oreegin o the wird is obscure. The aerliest proponed etymology wis in 1693 in the Scotch Presbyterian Eloquence that the wird is a corruption o the Greek agía míne (αγία μήνη), or "haly month". The three main modren theories pit it forrit as bein aither a French, Gaelic or Norse ruit.

The wird is first recordit in a Latin entry in 1443 in the Wast Ridin o Yorkshire as hagnonayse. The first kythin in Inglis came in 1604 in the records o Elgin, as hagmonay. Forder 17t-yearhunner spellins include Hagmena (1677), Hogmynae night (1681), an Hagmane (1693) in an entry o the Scotch Presbyterian Eloquence.

Awtho Hogmanay is the dominant spellin an pronoonciation, mony variations o the name hae been recordit, includin:

wi the first syllable various being /hɔg/, /hog/, /hʌg/, /hʌug/ or /haŋ/.

French etymology

It micht hae come intae Middle Scots frae French. The maist common citit ensaumple is that it comes frae the northren French byleidal wird hoguinané, or variants sic as hoginane, hoginono an hoguinettes, thon wirds comin frae the 16t yearhunner Middle French aguillanneuf meanin aither a gift gien at New Year, a bairn's cry for sic a gift, or New Year's Eve itsel.

The Hogmanay prattick o singin 'Auld Lang Syne' haes become common in mony kintras. 'Auld Lang Syne' is a tradeetional poem reinterpretit by Robert Burns, that wis syne pitten tae muisic. It is nou common for this tae be sung in a circle o cleekit airms that's crosst ower ane anither as the knock chaps midnicht for Ne'er's Day, awtho in Scotland the tradeetional practice is tae cross airms anerly for the last verse.