Scotland's New Year's Eve custom of welcoming the first visitor after midnight is called first-footing.
A first-foot is the first person to enter a household after midnight on New Year's Day. Scottish tradition holds that the visitor's arrival can influence the household's luck for the year ahead. The visitor may bring symbolic gifts such as coal for warmth, bread or shortbread for food, salt, or whisky for hospitality.
Traditionally, a tall, dark-haired man was often regarded as a particularly lucky first-foot, although modern practice is much less restrictive. The visitor commonly leaves and re-enters through the main door, emphasizing that the arrival is taking place after the new year begins.
First-footing forms part of Hogmanay, Scotland's broader New Year celebration. It is distinct from a ceilidh, which is a social gathering with traditional music and dancing, and from “Auld Lang Syne,” the song commonly sung at midnight.