The Scottish New Year’s Eve tradition in which the first visitor entering a home brings luck is called first-footing.
In this custom, the first person to cross the household threshold after midnight is the first foot. The visitor is traditionally expected to bring good fortune for the coming year, often arriving with symbolic gifts such as coal, shortbread, salt, or whisky. Customs differ among families and regions.
Historically, the first-foot’s appearance and the gifts carried could be treated as omens. A dark-haired male visitor was once preferred in some traditions, while fair-haired visitors could be viewed unfavorably because of memories of Viking raids; this older interpretation is not a universal modern rule.
First-footing belongs to Scotland’s wider Hogmanay celebrations. It is a household custom rather than the name of the Edinburgh street festival, and the first person to enter after midnight is not simply any guest who was already inside before the year changed.