What is First Footing? Everything you need to know about Scotland’s New Year celebration

New Year’s is celebrated across the world to bring in the new year, but in Scotland it is a particularly festive occasion. 

Scotland calls their celebrations to mark the new year Hogmanay (Hog-Mah-Nay) and is historically the country’s biggest festival as the practice of celebrating Christmas was outlawed. 

Christmas was banned in Scotland for over 400 years, starting in 1640, and was only lifted in 1958. 

Scotland has since adopted many holiday traditions from both England and America to celebrate Christmas but still has many unique traditions. 

One big Hogmanay tradition is first-footing, which if done correctly is thought to bring luck to a household for the following year. 

READ MORE: What is Hogmanay? Everything you need to know about this celebration

What is first-footing? 

First-footing is celebrated after the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve and is the practice of visiting close friends and family. 

To ensure good luck, the first visitor to a house on New Year’s Day must be a tall dark-haired man bearing certain gifts, who is called the first-foot – the first person of the new year. 

Some people believe a woman, red-haired or a blonde-haired man being the first to arrive at your door may be a symbol of bad luck.

It is not completely known how this tradition came about, but it is speculated this tradition dates back to the Viking invasions of Britain when a blonde-haired man would more likely mean danger for the local Scots. 

Another theory is that the tradition comes from Samhain, the Celtic New Year, in which a ritual fire would be lit  Guising, the act of going house to house, was also part of Samhaun in which people would dress up, which is thought to be where Halloween’s trick and treat comes from. 

What should a first-footer bring? 

It is traditional for the dark-haired man to bring a lump of coal, since historically fire played a big part in Celtic winter celebrations, and is traditionally gifted to ensure a home stays warm in the next year.

Another traditional first footing gift is dark rye bread to ensure a household does not go hungry in the next year. 

Nowadays, most people in Scotland are more likely to bring a tin of shortbread and a bottle of whiskey to a household they visit. 

The majority of people in Scotland in modern times treat first-footing as an amusing superstition, so any gift is likely to be happily welcomed on New Year’s Day.