Trust the Scots to do things in the most unusual way.
The Scottish tradition of New Year celebrations is different from that of the world. Hogmanay, the traditional name for New Year's Eve in Scotland, dates back its origin to New Year celebrations among the Vikings with wild parties in late December.
Happy New Year 2017 will have to be said a bit later than usual as 2016 will have an extra second
According to the Metro UK, Norse invaders celebrated the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, with wild parties in late December. These parties slowly included elements from the Gaelic Samhain winter festival, celebrating the beginning of winter. Today, the celebrations have a mix of traditions and rituals.
Unlike other places where the celebrations take place from New Year's Eve to the morning of January 1, the New Year celebrations are spread across three days in Scotland. The first day sees visitors, travellers and residents join torch bearers marching through the heart of Edinburgh. This creates a river of fire from Royal Mile to Son et lumiére. The march is concluded at the Calton Hill with the fireworks brightening the city skies.
On December 31, the Hogmanay Street Party is hosted on Princes Street welcoming people across the world to join the Scots welcome the New Year. With the spectacular backdrop of Edinburgh Castle, travellers shake a leg at the concert featuring live music, entertainment, DJs, giant screens, and outdoor bars.
At the stroke of midnight, the party peeps come together to watch the Edinburgh Hogmanay Midnight Fireworks and sing the national sing-along Auld Lang Syne, a tradition exclusive to Scotland. The party doesn't stop there. January 1 sees a Dookers Parade where people don the wackiest attires and head to River Forth at South Queensferry to take a dip in the freezing cold water. The celebrations end with a national holiday on January 2 in Scotland.
If you get to witness the celebrations all through the three days, you will witness not only the above mentioned events, but a lot more. Activities like fireball parade, Biggar Bonfire and Comrie Flambeaux (a procession of torches paraded accompanied by music, people in fancy dress and marched down the River Earn).
