The Scottish New Year's Eve custom in which the first person entering a home after midnight is significant is called first-footing.
A first-footer is the first person to cross the threshold after midnight on New Year's Day. Traditional beliefs hold that the visitor's arrival can influence the household's luck for the coming year. A dark-haired man was historically considered a particularly lucky first-footer in some Scottish traditions, while expectations varied by region and period.
Traditional gifts could include coal for warmth, shortbread or other food, salt, and whisky. These offerings represented practical needs and hospitality rather than mere decoration. The visitor might enter through the front door and leave through another route, reflecting older customs surrounding thresholds.
First-footing is part of Scotland's wider Hogmanay celebrations, but the terms are not interchangeable. Hogmanay refers to the Scottish New Year's celebration as a whole; first-footing is one custom within it. Modern households adapt the tradition in many ways and do not necessarily follow older rules about the visitor's appearance or gifts.