The Hogmanay home-visiting custom practiced after midnight is called first-footing.
A first-footer is the first person to enter a household after midnight on New Year’s Day. Scottish tradition holds that this visitor can influence the household’s luck for the coming year. Customs differ, but the visitor may bring symbolic gifts such as coal for warmth, bread or shortbread for food, salt, or whisky for hospitality.
In some traditions, a tall, dark-haired man was considered a particularly fortunate first-footer. This reflects older regional beliefs rather than a rule followed identically across modern Scotland. The visitor’s welcome and the sharing of gifts are often more important today than strict physical details.
First-footing is not the same as simply counting down to midnight. It specifically concerns the first arrival at a home after the new year begins, which is why the term is tied closely to Hogmanay.