First-footing is the Scottish New Year's Eve tradition of making a first visit after midnight.
In this custom, the first person to cross the threshold of a home after the new year begins is called the first-footer. The visitor may bring symbolic gifts, traditionally including coal for warmth, bread or shortbread for food, and whisky for hospitality. The visit is associated with good fortune for the household.
Older customs sometimes gave importance to the visitor's appearance, personality, or gender, and local practices varied. In modern Scotland, first-footing is generally a friendly social visit rather than a strict ritual, and families may arrange visits among friends after midnight.
First-footing is closely associated with Hogmanay but is not its name. Hogmanay describes Scotland's wider New Year celebration, while first-footing is one specific custom within that seasonal tradition. The practice also has parallels in other cultures that treat the first visitor of a new year as significant.