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Enjoy New Years Eve the “Hogmanay” Scottish Way

The Biggest New Year’s Eve Party in Europe

“Hogmanay,” is the Scottish word for New Years celebrations, and the Scottish celebrate like no one else can, turning the coming of the New Year into a national festival, bringing together all the Scots’ love of dancing, music, mischievous merry-making and, of course, whisky drinking. Most think that the reason for the extreme celebrations of New Years in Edinburgh are due to the fact that Christmas was once banned in Scotland, therefore the people there have always made New Years something special. Edinburgh is the center for these celebrations, making it the home of the biggest New Year’s Eve party in Europe, year after year.

Celebrations in Scotland start much earlier than New Year’s Eve. The Hogmanay celebrations themselves are the culmination of a month-long series of events in which half a million people will participate. These events include ice-skating in an ice rink, which is set up in the Princes Street Gardens and operates during the whole festive season as well as the setting up of a Ferris wheel beside the Scott Monument. 

Until 10 years ago, “Hogmanay” celebrations in Edinburgh were centered around the Tron Church, which is located on the Royal Mile. However, as the party has grown in popularity, with more and more people flocking to Edinburgh to celebrate the New Year, the focus of the festivities have moved to Princes Street. Princes Street makes the perfect location for a New Year’s Eve party with its gardens and the backdrop of the Edinburgh Castle. The Princes Street Party is a ticket only event with an official program of events to take part in including street entertainment, a fun fair, and hundreds of thousands of people. Rock and pop bands will perform on stages built in the Princes Street Gardens and there is always a magnificent fireworks display. Since the move to Princes Street, the number of people in attendance has grown amazingly and it has quickly become the biggest New Year’s Eve party in Europe. The party has grown so huge, that tickets sell out over a year in advance.

The celebrations go on throughout the night into New Year’s day ending with the Looney Dook Mid-Winter Swim. This Swim is a fantastic and very popular way to start the New Year and end the New Years celebrations in Scotland. Participants join together at 11am and at midday are lead by a Pipe Band through the streets of South Queensferry and into the Forth. After a very quick swim, every participant is invited back to the local pub for hot toddy and soup. This event is actually a very formal event, with everyone dressed in suits and fancy dresses.

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