In the Scottish first-foot custom, the first person to enter a home after midnight is called the first-footer.
First-footing is a New Year's tradition in which the first person to cross a household's threshold after midnight is believed to influence the household's luck for the coming year. The visitor traditionally brings symbolic gifts, often including coal for warmth, bread or shortbread for food, salt, and whisky for hospitality.
Older versions of the custom placed importance on the visitor's appearance and gender, although modern practice varies widely. First-footing is especially associated with Scotland and is part of the broader Hogmanay season. It is not simply any guest who arrives on January 1: the distinctive role belongs to the first person entering after the threshold has been crossed into the new year.