An Overview of Edinburgh: The Greenest City From Scotland

Scholarly to Adrenaline-Pumping Festivals in Edinburgh. Throughout the year, dozens of festivals are held in Edinburgh. Summer especially in August is packed with several hokiku88 festivals. Though most festivals are related to art and culture, festivals presented below cover almost all types of festivals in this festival city, Edinburgh.

Edinburgh International Book Festival

Lasting for three weeks at the end of August, this festival consists of author talks, open discussions, book signings, and workshops. It has a tented village concept which takes place at George Street and Charlotte Square Gardens of New Town. The entrance is free but to join some events visitors need to buy tickets. Each year more than 900 authors around the world come to this festival.

Edinburgh International Children’s Festival

Like its name, this festival focuses on children. For thirty years, it has been attended by thousands of children from the U.K. especially Scotland. The activities mostly include performances by and for children. For ten days, it is held at the National Museum of Scotland. The main objective of the festival is to entertain as well as to introduce arts and performances to young people.

Edinburgh International Festival

Also called EIF, it was initiated by Rudolf Bing in 1947 to heal the wounds of the Second World War. At first, it only focused on classical music, but nowadays it covers more performing arts, talks, workshops, even visual arts. Due to lots of performances, the festival is held in several major halls and theatres such as Kings Theatre, Queen Hall, The Edinburgh Playhouse, and more. It happens for 25 days.

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Shortly referred to as the Fringe, people sometimes intertwine between the Fringe and EIF because both are main festivals in Edinburgh. The distinctive difference is that EIF is the posh one and the Fringe is more open and accessible. Unlike EIF which held at elegant halls, the Fringe venues are feasible places on the Royal Mile, Appleton Tower, and the University of Edinburgh like function rooms, church hall, regular theatre, even streets.

Such differences are because the first Fringe was made by the rejected theatre performers in the first EIF. Later they used unconventional places and street announcements to attract visitors. Decades after, the Fringe became bigger and surpassed the EIF because of the easy access to perform as well as the cheaper ticket prices.

Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo

Every August, esplanade of Edinburgh Castle was packed by thousands of people since 1949. They watch drum and pipes performed by British Armed Forces and firework displays. The performance is presented in the evening every day except Sunday. It lasts for about 100 minutes and mostly ends at 10.40 pm. The term ‘tattoo’ refers to signal to call soldiers from pubs or last call of duty for a day.

Edinburgh Marathon Festival

Started in 1982, thousand athletes have participated in this festival. With 42.2 km or 26.2 miles, the run starts from Potterrow and ends at Pinkie. Though the distance is quite short, the run however passes hilly area which needs extra energy. The festival also offers several choices and routes of run such as for junior, 5k, 10k, and others. Different types have different routes.

Population and Demography in Edinburgh. Scotland is country located in the British isle. It is part of United Kingdom alongside England, wales, and North Ireland. When discussing about Scotland, people recognize its unique accent who often become popular in https://ringcincin.com/ media. Scotland has been part of UK since hundreds years. Both countries share same culture, wars, stories, and histories.

The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh with many heritage and old building. Even though this country is capital, people often do not realize about such matter. In fact, they think Glasgow is the capital due to the most populous city in this country. Edinburgh is the second one but has significant growth since two decades ago.

Edinburgh Estimated Population

Based on 2016 data, the population of Edinburgh is 512,000 and estimated to be 538,774 in 2020. In 2011, the population was approximately 480,000. From that information, you can tell this city is relatively smaller in term of population. When you compare with London or Glasgow, Edinburgh seems to be the small city. On the other side, more people come in this city from various countries including some immigrants and refugees from middles east. The city has been the central point for foreign settlements from around EU and other Europe countries.

For your information, the population for 2020 is only the estimation. It is useful for future planning in city development. Those people live in Edinburgh and not part of metro area. When including metropolitan area, the population is approximately 901,000 even more in few years ahead. The city expands the area to make sure people have enough space.

The area of Edinburgh is 264 km2 and density is 1083 people per km. Edinburgh have steady population growth with 1.12% per year. It increases or decreases depending on economic and global situation. From this percentage, this number is higher because overall population growth in Scotland is 0.5%. Therefore, Edinburgh is definitely in the right path for further development.

Edinburgh Demography

Even though the city has small area, you can see people from various backgrounds. More than 95% are white with at least 40% are not originally from Scotland. The rest demography is Asian, black, and middle east. Most of people in this city were born from non-Scotland and UK. If your country is part of EU, you can apply permanent resident. This is why Edinburgh has many people from various countries.

China is the highest minority in Edinburgh. The numbers are growth and most of them have been around decades ago. As it mentioned above, the rest are people from Middle East as immigrant or refugees. The numbers grow steady but not excessive due to Scotland have strict rule. If you are skilled labor, the country will receive your work application.

Edinburgh has high proportion regarding the young people; at least, 20% people are in their 20s. Even though population growth is small, this proportion is mostly from the new comer. In the future, Edinburgh will have significant growth as long as Scotland has stable economic situation. This is what you should know about Edinburgh population.

Local Heroes from Edinburg. The city of Edinburg in Scotland is something that is known for its scenic picturisque scenes. Throughout the land for their ages buildings and stuff. The city of Edinburg is well known as the capital of. Scotland and where the house of parliament and stuff resides. This is including the palace of the Holyroodhouse where their monarchy lives in since the 15th century back then. Barely known for their hilly landscape and this is what most tourists are looking for these days. To feel the genuine imagination of hilly European landscapes.

When we talk about shopping

Well this is might be one thing that comes to our mind when we visit some new places/locations during our vacation and just like many places http://128.199.249.99 of tourist attractions. The city of Edinburg is also known for some of the shopping items one would never want to miss. To name a few, kilt and clans items, bagpipes and much other stuff. So come and visit their website, search on Google for the name and you’ll not going to disappoint when you are looking for modern or even classical shopping items from Scotland.

When we talk about local heroes of Scotland. No one probably ever misses the great Andrew de Murray as well as William Wallace. The last one you can find the epic movie of Braveheart stared by an actor Mel Gibson. The movie was filmed throughout the land of Scotland picturing the great war back then in the 12th. Century during British occupation in Scotland where sir William Wallace found with his mighty armies against the British and they were being supported by the Sir Richard Bundle. Which killed the Sir William Haseirig which was the British’s sheriff of the city of Lanark and this news. Was spread across the land of the country and Wallace gains many supports from. The Scottish people for the great war against British. And this war also supported by Robert Wishart which was the bishop of Glasgow which he also wanted the British to lose.

Well, a week can be too short when we want to fully explore

This great country of Scotland for their magnificent hilly landscapes as well as their local shopping and also their local heroes. Which can bring us back to many centuries ago where the great wars against British were taken place. I believe there are some direct flight from our country to. Scotland these days or otherwise with one time transit in many other major Europen cities for connection. And I think the visit to this great medieval site is worth a dime when we spend our time and money. Because of their many great and interesting yet modern but also traditional sites are hardly forgettable. Come and have a great week in this country and you won’t regret that. Make your plan today and prepare yourself to indulge in the famous and well known one of the best European sites today.

Landscape of Edinburgh, Ultimate Combination of Nature and Human Civilization. In United Kingdom, you can easily find cities which incorporate nature and manmade parts. The capital of Scotland, Edinburgh, is a city that very successfully combines those two aspects. That notion is proven by the fact that most tourists who had visited this city voted as one of the most stunning cities in the world. What kind of landscape that the city has? What are the efforts its government makes to preserve its charm?

First of all, it will be helpful to know the natural landscape of this city beforehand. In its earlier time, the city consisted mostly of steep hills and shallow volcanic. The materials released by the volcanic mountain during eruptions created sedimentation which further shaped the city so that it turned into the Edinburgh today. As years went by the volcanic became dormant but the spectacular city landscape had been formed as results. It is hypothesized that the entire process took about 400 years.

Even if the hills became less steep because of sedimentation

You can still see those hills surrounding the city. They provide gorgeous viewpoints. You are also lucky that because of its geographical location, the city has mild climate. It means that the temperature change between seasons is not drastic. Tourist will be able to have a great time visiting Edinburgh at all year.

The results of civilization are without doubt contributing to the city’s whole landscape as well. There are two highlighted parts of the city: Old Town and New Town. When visiting Old Town, you will immediately sense the medieval vibe of Edinburgh. The buildings within this area were built around 12th to 17th centuries.  Some landmarks located in this part of the city include The Grassmarket, St. Giles’ Cathedral, and Holyrood Palace. Tourists can easily find accommodations alongside its narrow streets to fully embrace the medieval feeling.

What about the New Town? This area was mostly built around the end of 17th century. Most of the buildings located in this area would display neoclassical look which is influenced by Greek culture. New Town offers an entirely different feeling if compared to the Old Town. Its landmarks are Scottish National Gallery, West End, and the Georgian House. Spending the time walking through its wide roads would be a nice experience.

The efforts that government employs to ensure that

Edinburgh will still maintain its traditional landscape and look are pretty expensive. There are certain building codes to ensure construction or renovation projects will adhere to the characteristics of Edinburgh. Moreover, the government makes sure that the city’s landscape would still offer the optimum scenery by preventing new buildings from obstructing it from view.

Its natural landscape is also still maintained really well. Among the concretes, you will be able to see hampers of green space. Visitors can hike some of the hills to enjoy the view of Edinburgh on good days. That would be a nice opportunity to see vegetation native to Scotland as well. The shoreline of Edinburgh is also a nice spot to visit if you want to get away a little bit from the bustling of the city.

Interesting Spots That You Can Visit in the Old Town, Edinburgh. Edinburgh is an attractive tourist destination for people around the globe and there is definitely a good reason for that. This old town offers numerous attractive places to visit. Some places are very notorious but the others might be a hidden gem that you have to unveil on a visit there yourself. Whether you are fonder of exploring historical spots or the modern ones, you will be satisfied because the options are very diverse.

Are you an art enthusiast? If so, you should spare a time to visit Scottish National Gallery. This gallery keeps sculptures and paintings made by European artists from various classical eras including ones made by Picasso and Rembrandt. Visitors would be able to see artworks from Renaissance era or even the Impressionist time. There are some educational events such as gallery tours, art lectures, and even classes to participate in. For those who favor modern arts more, there is a shuttle bus from the gallery to Scottish National Gallery of Modern Arts that keeps contemporary collections such as from Andy Warhol and Simon Starling.

Architecture geeks will also find Edinburgh fascinating.

There are many beautiful buildings surrounding the city. In addition to having elegant structure, each building also has cultural significance. Georgian House is a must-visit if you love architecture. It is a representative of Edinburgh townhouse during the eighteenth century. Although the building had seen restoration, it still maintains the original look. Visitors would be able to experience a little taste of upper middle class life in that era by visiting this spot.

Those who favor more of historically significant places can actually go to palaces or cathedrals within Edinburgh. Holyrood Palace is one of the main attractions known to public. It is dedicated as royal family residence in Scotland. There are various interesting tales surrounding this palace ever since its construction during Charles II’s reign. More than that, the Baroque-style architecture with its antique decorations would lure everyone with charm. This place is also located closely to the infamous Edinburgh Castle so you can visit both places in the same day.

Biodiversity tourism is also something that you can enjoy in this town. You can go to Edinburgh Zoo that hosts diverse animal kingdom members from all around the world. Visitors can see pandas, chimpanzees, wallabies, and even penguins in this zoo. There are some events which enable visitors to interact directly with the animals there as well as learning their characteristics and proper ways to care for them.

Another place that you can visit to see rich biodiversity in one spot is Royal Botanical Garden.

There are more than 13,000 plant species kept in the garden. You will not only find plants that are native to Great Britain, but also plants from other regions as well. During Christmas season, a special event will be held, in which the garden will be decorated with beautiful lights. Visitors also get the opportunity to attend classes about plants there.

There are interesting spots to visit other than what have been mentioned in this passage. You can go to Princes Street to enjoy a day of shopping. If you are interested in unique museums, yo certainly need to visit Museum of Childhood. Those who want to enjoy traditional Scottish pub experience can visit one of the many pubs located in the city. The choices are limitless.

Historic Castles: The Edinburgh’s National Treasure. Castles are Edinburgh’s main attraction in tourism nowadays. There are dozens of castles and the most famous one is Edinburgh Castle. It is estimated that more than two million people visited Edinburgh Castle in 2018.

Besides tourism, Castles are often used as a filming location. Famous movies that were shot in Edinburgh castles are Outlaw King, T2 Trainspotting, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Outlander, Lallybroch, and more. Of them all, the significant importance of castles as the national treasure of Scotland is its historical value.

Castles were built for different purposes such as royal residence, prison, chapel, and military defense. Being called ‘the defender of the nation’, these are several magnificent castles in Edinburgh with their heroic history.

1. Edinburgh Castle

Stood as the oldest and largest castle in Edinburgh, the castle had been the royals’ home since King David I reign in12th century up to 1633. During times, many parts of the castle complex evolved due to sieges, deaths, and state events. The examples are the Half Moon Battery which was constructed in the backwash of Lang Siege 1573 and Margaret Chapel which was dedicated to Queen Margaret who died in 1093.

Edinburgh Castle had been the witness for many historical events such as wars of Scottish Independence, Nova Scotia and Civil war, James III release, and more. It was also the jail for many prisoners of wars and the place for witch execution. In the present, everyone could see Edinburgh history by visiting the Castle complex which consists Scottish National War Memorial, Royal Palace, Great Hall, Mons Meg, and others.

2. Craigmillar Castle

Constructed in the late 14th century, Craigmillar Castle belonged to the Preston family. In this castle, John Stewart the King James III’s brother was imprisoned due to witchcraft practice. Later, the castle became the haven and escape place for young James V and Mary of Scots to regain their Health.

The castle was also the silent witness for Lord Danley’s murder, Queen Mary’s husband. Sadly in 1544 during Rough Wooing or war between England and Scotland, the castle was burned down by English. The remains still open for the public.

3. Lochleven Castle

Located in the middle of a lake, the castle built in the 1300s was the last place Mary of Scots stayed before escaping to England and executed. It was also the prison for Mary where she was forced to abdicate and had a miscarriage. Recently, people http://178.128.214.248 could visit this castle by cruising with a 12-person ferry.

4. Tantallon Castle

Situated by the sea, Tantallon Castle was a tower house built and owned by the Douglass dynasty. It had survived three besieges by James IV (1491), James V (1528), and Oliver Cromwell (1651). It was the place where young James V lived for years after the rebellion against his father, James III. The beauty of this castle still remains as it is one if favorite filming locations in Scotland.

Apart from the previous castles, there are still dozens of castles in Edinburgh. Most castles nowadays have been renovated and reconstructed. Yet their story will remain. Those are some of Edinburgh’s national treasures.

Foods to Eat While In Edinburgh. You visit Scotland and Edinburgh is the first city where to start. It is capital of Scotland that might be enough to summarize your travels if do not have time for further exploring. When visiting new city, you must try something that locals eat. Most of foods from around Scotland can be found in this city.

Before exploring more about this topic, you should know the brief history of Edinburgh. It is useful to understand local custom and culture. When you are in this place, try to be a local even though you are tourist. This city was recognized as capital of Scotland since 15^th century. Since that time, Edinburgh was center of science and education. You find old museum, castle, university, and many things that still preserve since old time.

List of Foods You Must Try In Edinburgh

1. Haggis

You ask for foods that are common and unique in Scotland. The answer is haggis, which becomes the iconic foods you must try when visiting this city. In general, haggis is local cuisine from Scotland not just in this city. At first, there is nothing special about the appearance. You must take one bite and the taste brings delicious flavor. Main ingredient is sheep’s liver with herbs and spices. This menu has been in the top choice to attract tourist. Haggis showed that every part of sheep must be put into good use. As result, the haggis is made with delicious taste.

2. Fish and chips

You will find several foods based on fish and seafood in this city. If you like something with deep fried, fish and chips is the best options. They are the best combination for any meal. Fish is cooked with delicate method to preserve the natural taste. You can eat with bread for quick breakfast or lunch. Another option is lobster as an alternative for seafood. Of course, smoked salmon is the food that you also try with chips.

3. Scotch pie

You visit Scotland and scotch pie seems to be something you should give a chance. The pie looks delicious with rich flavor. This is different from regular pie you find. In fact, pie in many countries and regions have custom taste including the one you find in Edinburgh.

4. Porridge

Porridge is local food in Scotland that you also find in Edinburgh. It is made from salted and dried apple. It was the main food during winter. Texture is solid that can last longer. In fact, you get rich calorie and nutrients from porridge.

5. Shortbread

Shortbread will be the best companion for morning tea or evening coffee. You can enjoy this one with raspberry flavor or just plain one. Some bakeries produce shortbread with chocolate or something unique to adjust with demand.

Five foods above are enough for starting points. You can add cranachan and black pudding into the next list. While in Scotland, you should enjoy some gins and whiskeys. Local beverages are available in the pub. You visit the order the drink alongside the foods. This activity makes you feel like the Scottish people.

Higher Degree in Edinburgh: Diverse Program Options at Its Established Universities. Higher Degree in Edinburgh: Diverse Program Options at Its Established Universities. To many people, Scotland might not be the main destination for higher education degree in Great Britain. You will be surprised to know that it actually offers various interesting higher degree programs for not only for local but also global students. Edinburgh alone hosts six universities that have diverse areas of study. If you have not considered Edinburgh as a study destination, it is likely that you will after completing this passage.

Among all universities located in this city, The University of Edinburgh should be the most recognizable one. This university attracts students around the world because of its top level courses and research programs guided by world class faculty members. The subjects offered to students in this university are very varied, ranging from social sciences subjects to engineering.

If you prefer a university with varied program options but less severe competitiveness than The University of Edinburgh

you should consider Edinburgh Napier University. Each campus hosts certain departments. For example, in Sighthill Campus, you will likely to find most of the university’s clinical laboratories. It cultivates partnership with other international institutions too.

Another alternative for students who expect vast course options would be Heriot-Watt University. Its options vary from business to languages. Moreover, this university is an ideal choice for students who want to obtain more international exposures. The reason is that the university has several other campuses located in other countries such as Dubai and Malaysia. Students may get the opportunity to attend courses in another campus during their study.

Queen Margaret University is another higher degree institution located in this city. In addition to being known for having tight-knit community, there are plenty of opportunities for students to receive funding to ease up the education cost.

There is also a specific school for aspiring medical personnel named Royal College of Surgeons

In fact, this institution is quiet renowned in medical education and have been around for centuries. Yearly, thousands of students are applying for one of its top notch programs; whether in general surgery, ophthalmology, dental care, or others. The college is equipped with extensive library, training facilities, and high-tech classroom that will help developing students’ skills in clinical setting.

Are you starting to consider Edinburgh as a place to pursue higher education degree? Most students believe that living in this city would be expensive. That worry is reasonable as Edinburgh is one of major cities in United Kingdom. It is safer and friendlier for student. You will have the best study experience in there.

A Brief Outline of Living in Edinburgh. Being a capital and tourism city, Edinburgh has a lively vibe to live. There are less than 600.000 Edinburghers who enjoy their daily life in this city. Though they have different lifestyles, these are some aspects that mostly apply to the life of Edinburgh citizens.

Living cost

The living cost of every single person can be different. It depends on the lifestyle, properties owned, jobs, residence location, and more. Based on some surveys, for a month the cost of living of a family with four people ranges between 2,361.95£ – 3,400£ and single person ranges between 673.09£ – 1,899£. Those numbers include food, clothes, transportation, entertainment, personal care, and housing.

Weather

The wetter season lasts longer than the drier season. The average high temperature is 19° C and the average low one is 1° C. The warmest and brightest weather usually occurs starting May until September. Yet, the rest is mostly dark and rainy. Even in summer, rains often fall. For sunshine lovers, do not hope too much on Edinburgh weather. Therefore, investing in waterproof jackets, raincoats, and umbrellas are a good thing.

Public service

Healthcare in Edinburgh is firstly started by meeting a general practitioner. The GP enrolls the patients in the NHS. It is easy to find the GP using NHS24.com as there are plenty of them. Though there may be some queues, their service is satisfying. As important as health, education in this city could suit every student’s needs. Starting from nursery up to university, public or private, and even special education, Edinburgh has varied options in this field.

In terms of public transportation, this walkable city provides city buses that run from 4:00 am till midnight. There are night buses which operate after midnight, but they are more expensive.  It costs £1.7 per ticket but using Ridacard that costs £57/month gives unlimited access. There are also trams with fewer routes than buses.

Social interaction

Edinburghers love drinking. They usually drink on weekends or after work, so pubs, bars, and cafes can be a good place to make friends. Another way is by volunteering. The city has an abundance of tourist attractions and events throughout the year. Sometimes they need more help in certain seasons like the holiday season. Besides adding numbers to a bank account, volunteering makes a wider connection.

Also, Edinburgh is more multi-racial than other cities in Scotland and has social clubs and groups. Joining groups or clubs that suit our passion could add more friendship. Although Edinburgh is a cosmopolitan, Ediburghers are quite friendly and open.

Shopping center

For shops, Edinburgh has a lot and complete to offer. From merchandise for tourism to daily needs, markets in the city will fill the need. Fresh foodstuffs, crafts, flowers, clothing, others can be found at Stockbridge Market, Leith Market, Greater Grassmarket, The Pitt Market, Edinburgh Farmers Market, and Old Tolbooth Market.

Those are weekly markets to visit other than department stores like Ocean Terminal, The Gyle, Waverley Mall, and St. James Shopping Center. The international brands are easy to spot at The West End, George Street, Princess Street, and Multrees Walk.

Filming Movies in Edinburg. Ones might have an ideal place to be when it comes to hilly scenery and one place you might found. Want to be in could be in the city of Edinburg in the country of Scotland. Their ideal hilly scenes are well known for many movie makers when they want to find this type of scene in their movies. One good example perhaps the well known Braveheart movie starred by Mel Gibson, an Australian born Hollywood actor.

The story tells us about the great war they had. The Scottish, against the British occupation back then in the 12th century. Initially, Sir William Wallace was categorized as criminals amongst their own people but finally. After the great battle against the British empire and they won the war. Slowly but sure the people across Scotland turn back their support to support Sir William Wallace for their continuing fight against the British.

Sir William Wallace began to take the attention

Of the people of Scotland when he fought and killed Sir William Haseirig which was the sheriff of Lanark and also their crews, and William Wallace got helped by Sir Richard Lundie and also supported by Robert Wishart which was the great bishop of Glasgow and William Wallace saw this support as a great authorisation and great honour because Robert Wishart himself also wanted the British to lose. And the battle continues until the British and Scot signed a pact towards the end of 12th century to be in peace and give Scotland their full independence against the British. Anyway, people of Scotland never feel they were part of the British empire since the beginning.

These situations were taken into the movie of Braveheart, an epic movie of this great war of. Scotland where people of Scotland were so proud of their nation and Sir Williams Wallace, played by Mel Gibson. Seems to be a great fit into the movie and this was well accepted not only the people of the country but also throughout the world.

Many movies made in these modern.

Days required such hilly landscapes with great features of castles and stuff, to name a few. Harry Potter movies were also being shot in these locations in Scotland to perfectly shows their great hills and sceneries. To those fans of great medieval countrysides, Scotland is certainly an ideal place to play bola88 from time to time.

The movie titled Hamlet was also filmed in this country too. These are some favourite film locations in Scotland that you may also want to visit and see during your holiday in this country. Places like Gregory Hills, Red Point Beach in Wester Ross are to name a few of them. The Isle of Lewis certainly is something we don’t want to miss as well.

These great locations we captured in the movies because they seem to have everything about Scotland. From ginger hair, tales of magic, quirky clansmen, stunning sceneries and many more to what people are referring to. In short, there are too many interesting sites and places for big movie production companies to choose with in the city of Edinburg.

Unique and Enjoyable Cultures in The Capital of Scotland. As a part of Scotland, Edinburgh’s culture is mostly influenced by Scottish culture. It applies to norms, beliefs, customs, traditions, arts, and even foods. Of them all, here are some enjoyable cultures that only can be found in Edinburgh.

Traditional food

Being the capital of Scotland has its benefits. One of them is having complete food options from across Scotland. The restaurants in this city have every traditional Scottish dish. Therefore, tourists do not have to fly to a different region to taste Scottish dishes; Edinburgh is enough.

The famous Scottish delicacy is Haggis which is made of calf or sheep’s offal, spices, and oatmeal. The uniqueness of this food is that those ingredients are encased in an animal’s stomach. The food is served as a savory pudding. Another outlandish from the city is Stornoway black pudding. The distinctive ingredient of the food is the pig’s blood. Though its name is pudding, the final product looks more like sausages.

Other cultural delicacies that can be enjoyed in the city are Cullen Skink, Mince and Tatties, Partan Bree, Cranachan, Cock-a-leekie, Arbroath smokies, and of course its national beverage, whiskey. Some of those foods are commonly served during certain celebrations and occasions.

Celebrations and Traditions

Related to New Year, Scottish tradition has Hogmanay which means the last day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. Nowadays, Edinburgh’s Hogmanay is annually celebrated on December 30th till January 1st. The celebration includes fireworks, Cèilidh dancing, concerts and more. Another celebration is the Beltane fire festival which has historical Gaelic influence. This celebration is held on 30 April and covers ritual drama and art events.

Another unique tradition that can be seen daily is the one o’clock gun. Taken place in Edinburgh castle, Mon Meg, the giant canon, is always fired at 1 pm daily. This tradition can be traced back to the 1850s when Time-ball on Calton Hill was not visible due to bad weather. Therefore to tell the time, an auditory sign from the canon was started.

While crossing the heart of Midlothian, it is common to see Edinburghers spitting on the pavement of the royal mile. It is another tradition that came from the 1600s where the Tolbooth prison still operated. The heart sign was the mark entrance of the Prisons and people used to spit on the prisoners who came into the jail.

Other eccentric traditions in Edinburgh that still exist nowadays are enjoying 99 ice cream at Portobello Beach, eating chips with sauce and salt, getting head tapped by John Knox’s breeches, and wishing luck rubbing Hume’s toe. To know the meaning behind each tradition, visiting Edinburgh is the best way.

Arts

Like other aspects, arts including traditional music in Edinburgh are heavily influenced by Scottish culture. Traditional instruments such as bagpipes, fiddles, and harpers are part of early music in Edinburgh. Besides, the music of the city has been influenced by folk, classical, pop, rock, and jazz music.

There are lots of art collections in this city from traditional to modern, with varied dimensions. Those fine arts can be found at galleries, museums and even on some streets.