The Scottish New Year’s Eve event traditionally associated with a first-foot entering a home after midnight is Hogmanay.
First-footing is a Hogmanay custom in which the first person to cross a household’s threshold after midnight is called the first-foot. Traditionally, the visitor brings symbolic gifts such as coal for warmth, shortbread for food, whisky for cheer, or salt for preservation. The details and beliefs differ by region and family.
Older versions of the custom placed importance on the visitor’s appearance, with a dark-haired male first-foot sometimes considered especially lucky. Modern celebrations generally treat first-footing as a friendly social visit rather than a strict omen.
Hogmanay means Scottish New Year’s Eve and includes many other practices, from singing “Auld Lang Syne” to public concerts and torchlight processions. Burns Night, held on January 25, celebrates Robert Burns and is not the name of the New Year festival.