First-footing is the Scottish New Year's Eve tradition of welcoming the first person to enter a home after midnight.
In the custom, the first visitor, called the first-footer, is believed to influence the household's luck for the coming year. Traditional gifts can include food, drink, coal, salt, or shortbread, symbolizing warmth, prosperity, and hospitality.
Some versions of the tradition favor a tall, dark-haired male visitor, although practices vary by region and household. The visitor's appearance is often explained through older folklore and historical ideas about luck, identity, and unwanted associations with outsiders.
First-footing is part of Hogmanay, Scotland's New Year celebration, but the terms are not interchangeable. Hogmanay refers to the wider festival, while first-footing identifies this particular visiting custom. Modern celebrations may preserve the symbolic exchange of gifts without following every older rule about who should arrive first.