The Scottish New Year’s Eve and New Year custom associated with the first visitor entering a home after midnight is first-footing.
The first footer is the first person to cross a household’s threshold after midnight. Traditional beliefs held that this visitor could influence the household’s luck for the coming year. A dark-haired man was often considered especially lucky in older versions of the custom, although practices and interpretations vary.
First footers traditionally brought gifts such as shortbread, whisky, coal, or salt, representing food, warmth, hospitality, and prosperity. The visitor’s arrival was part of a wider pattern of visiting friends and family during Hogmanay.
The tradition is not identical to Edinburgh’s torchlight procession or to a ceilidh, which is a social dance gathering. First-footing is specifically about crossing the threshold and offering good wishes and gifts.