The Scottish New Year custom in which the first visitor to a home is thought to bring luck is called first-footing.
A first-footer is the first person to enter a household after midnight on New Year’s Eve. Traditional beliefs often favored a tall, dark-haired man, although modern celebrations are generally more inclusive. The visitor may bring symbolic gifts such as coal for warmth, bread for food, salt, or whisky for hospitality.
The custom is part of Hogmanay and reflects older ideas about the importance of crossing a household threshold at the start of a new period. In some traditions, a visitor already inside the home at midnight does not count as the first-footer; the defining moment is the first entry after midnight.
Practices differ by region and family. First-footing is not a formal religious rite, and it should not be confused with simply being the first person awake or the first person to make a phone call.