On the stroke of midnight it is customary to pucker up to the nearest stranger

It is a testament to the crowd-pleasing antics of Edinburgh's Hogmanay Festival that some 100,000 revelers brave the dark and damp Scottish winter to celebrate New Year's Eve here.

The reputation of this revived pagan ritual extends far and wide. What began as a one-night stand on the freezing streets of Edinburgh has transformed into a four-day extravaganza and Europe's biggest winter festival.

The main event is still the New Year's Eve party, a ticketed event featuring music, dancing, fireworks and the drunken kissing of strangers. It takes place in the Old Town centred around Princes Street.

Leading up to the big night, there's a torchlight procession and a variety of street performances and concerts. For those nursing New Year's Day hangovers, the triathlon and cold-water swims are surefire cures.