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Level 1 – BeginnerHogmanay
Hogmanay is the Scottish New Year. The celebration takes place on the 31st December every year. It is one of the most important festivals in Scotland. It is also very old. The tradition goes back to before Christian times. It was an ancient sun and fire festival in the middle of winter.
Today, there are parties all over the country. In the Highlands and country areas people still do traditional Scottish dancing on New Year’s Eve. In Edinburgh and Glasgow there are enormous street parties for over one hundred thousand people. All over Scotland, at midnight, it is traditional to kiss other people, then to hold hands in a circle and sing the famous song Auld Lang Syne.
In some places people have big bonfires on the village square. In others there are processions with torches and traditional Scottish music.