Scotland's Hogmanay New Years Eve Party

Go porcine wild in downtown Edinburgh, Scotland, on New Year's Eve with the party to end all parties: Hogmanay, a four day New Years celebration with major music, fireworks, carnivals and, of course, Dogmanay. The word "Hogmanay" may literally mean "great love day" in old Scandanavian, or "man is born" in French -- in Scotland, it means, "It's New Year's -- let's party!"

• Hogfoot it to the official Hogmanay site

Learn more about Hogmanay from About.com's UK expert, Ferne Arfin:

• What Goes On at Hogmanay: Most of the Hogmanay fun is found on the Edinburgh streets -- hit 'em December 29 for a torchlight parade, open-air Celidh on December 30, and on New Year's Eve, of course, the streets fill with thousands of your closest new friends.
• What Hogmanay's All About -- learn how the traditions orginated, included some interesting factoids on Cromwellian Christmas thoughts.
• Where is Hogmanay? You'll want to be in Edinburgh if you're looking for the major crowd scene and Hogmanay party ground zero, but Hogmanay events and bonfires go on all over Scotland -- check out this list of Hogmanay events in places you'll love, like Glasgow, and some normally-not-so-hot spots like Loch Ness.

Scotland's New Year's Eve Bonfires

Tis the season in Scotland for after-dark oddness -- find the places where major bonfires are the order of the eve, from South Lanarkshire's Biggar Bonfire to the shores of the North Sea in fishing port Stonehaven:

• Biggar Bonfire -- you'll especially like this wild night by firelight in South Lanarkshire
• Bizarre but cool Burning of the Clavie - Burghead, northeast Scotland
• Stonehaven's Fireball Festival
• Comrie Flambeaux -- New Year's Eve torch procession (bus service available from nearby Perth)

Hogmanay on Facebook...