First-footing is the Scottish New Year's Eve tradition in which the first person to enter a home after midnight is believed to influence its luck.
The first visitor is called the “first foot.” Traditional gifts may include coal for warmth, shortbread or another food, salt, and whisky. In many accounts, a tall, dark-haired man was considered especially lucky, while local customs varied from place to place.
The practice is part of Scotland's wider Hogmanay celebrations, but the two terms are not interchangeable: Hogmanay refers to the New Year festival, while first-footing describes the household-visiting custom. The visitor often arrives after the family has marked midnight together.
Modern celebrations may treat first-footing as a friendly symbolic visit rather than a strict superstition. Its details differ across Scottish communities, so no single gift or visitor profile applies everywhere.