Traditions of Edinburgh
The Scottish capital, where Hogmanay, Burns Night and the Tattoo fill the dark and the bright parts of the year.
Edinburgh is a city of hills and old stone, with a castle on a volcanic rock and a medieval Old Town above a Georgian New Town. Scottish customs of music, poetry and dress, from the bagpipe to the kilt, are part of its public life, and it hosts some of the largest festivals in the world each summer.
Hogmanay and Burns
Hogmanay, the Scottish New Year, brings a street party, a torchlight procession and the singing of Auld Lang Syne with crossed hands. Burns Night, on 25 January, is a supper for the poet Robert Burns, with a piped haggis, an address to the haggis and whisky toasts. In August the Tattoo and the Fringe fill the city.
At the table
Haggis with neeps and tatties, Cullen skink, a smoked haddock soup, shortbread and Scotch broth are traditional. Porridge, eaten with salt, is a morning staple. Whisky, with water, is sipped at celebrations, and tablet, a hard sugar sweet, is a treat. A first-footer brings a lump of coal for luck at New Year.
Signature traditions of Edinburgh
HogmanayThe Scottish New Year.
Burns supperThe celebration of the poet.
Royal Edinburgh Military TattooThe August show.Also part of it, and being written: Haggis (The national dish.), First-foot (The New Year visitor.).
A trail idea for Edinburgh
- Royal Mile Walk from the castle to the palace.
- Arthur's Seat Climb at dawn.
- Grassmarket Sample pub food and whisky.
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, markets and festival dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
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Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Remembrance Day: Philip Stevens, Public domain, source
- Beltane: Stefan Schäfer, Lich, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- May Day: Bryan Ledgard, CC BY 2.0, source
- Hogmanay: Robbie Shade, CC BY 2.0, source
- Egg rolling: White House/Lawrence Jackson, Public domain, source
- Burns supper: Kim Traynor, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo: xlibber, CC BY 2.0, source
- Saint Andrew's Day: Henryk Siemiradzki, Public domain, source