The Scottish custom of welcoming the first person to enter a home after midnight is called first-footing.
In this tradition, the first-foot is the first person to cross a household's threshold after midnight on New Year's Day. The visitor is traditionally expected to bring good fortune, and gifts may include whisky, shortbread, coal, salt, or black bun. The exact customs vary across Scotland and among families.
Some traditional versions considered the appearance and gender of the first-foot significant, although modern practice is generally more relaxed. A dark-haired male visitor was historically regarded in some areas as especially lucky, while a fair-haired visitor could be treated less favorably because of memories of Viking raids.
First-footing is closely linked with Hogmanay but is not the name of Hogmanay itself. Hogmanay describes Scotland's wider New Year's Eve celebration, while first-footing identifies one particular after-midnight custom.