The Scottish New Year custom of being the first visitor to enter a home after midnight is called first-footing.
In this Hogmanay tradition, the first person to cross a household’s threshold after midnight is known as the first-foot. The visitor traditionally brings symbolic gifts such as shortbread, whisky, coal, salt, or black bun, representing food, warmth, prosperity, and hospitality for the year ahead.
Older customs sometimes placed importance on the first-footer’s appearance or gender, and a tall, dark-haired man was considered especially lucky in some areas. Practices differ across Scotland, and modern celebrations often focus more on visiting friends and family than on strict symbolic rules.
First-footing is not the same as the midnight countdown itself. It is a visiting custom that follows the arrival of the New Year and forms one part of the wider Hogmanay celebration.