What does Hogmanay mean and why is it so big in Scotland?

While traditions like the singing of Auld Lang Syne are known far and wide, many may be less sure about the meaning behind the date's name and the reason why it is so important in Scotland.

If you're looking to celebrate Hogmanay armed with some facts about the occasion, look no further.

What does 'Hogmanay' actually mean?

Hogmanay is thought to have ancient Norse and Gaelic origins. (Image: Getty)

While the origins of Hogmanay are thought to come from Norse and Gaelic traditions, the term itself is rather jumbled.

The word was first recorded in a Latin entry from 1443 in Yorkshire as Hagnonayse with the first appearance in the Scots language coming in 1604 in Elgin, according to the New World Encyclopedia.

The term Hogmanay is used to refer to the last day of the year and is synonymous with New Year's Eve.

Why is Hogmanay such an important event in Scotland?

While the new year is celebrated across the globe, it is a particularly huge occasion in Scotland where it is known as 'Hogmanay'.

Parties across Scotland tend to last days with revellers celebrating the occasion from late December to January 2.

According to the BBC, Hogmanay can trace its origins back to the Samhain celebration which was used to mark the end of the harvest and year.

This later morphed into the Yule festival with the drunken debauchery associated with it continuing even when Catholicism became Scotland's main religion.

Hogmanay is widely celebrated in Scotland in cities like Edinburgh and Aberdeen. (Image: Getty)

It wasn't until 1640 when Parliament banned the Christmas break over concerns by Presbyterians that the holiday encouraged too much partying, that Hogmanay became the 'main event'.

This is thought to have encouraged Scots to begin moving their partying to the New Year instead.

The Church of Scotland strongly discouraged the celebration of Christmas for nearly 400 years with it only becoming a public holiday in 1958.