Scotland's New Year's Eve tradition in which the first visitor to a home after midnight brings luck is called first-footing.
In this custom, the first person to cross a household's threshold after midnight is called the first-foot. Traditionally, a tall, dark-haired man was considered especially lucky in some Scottish regions. The visitor commonly brought symbolic gifts such as coal for warmth, bread for food, salt, or whisky for hospitality.
The tradition is part of Hogmanay, the Scottish celebration of New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Customs differ by locality and family, and modern first-footers may be of any appearance or gender. The central idea is that the first arrival helps set the household's fortune for the coming year.
First-footing is often confused with Hogmanay itself. Hogmanay names the broader Scottish New Year celebration, while first-footing identifies one particular visiting custom within it. The practice also has parallels with threshold and hospitality traditions elsewhere in Europe.