National First-Foot Day
National First-Foot Day:
A celebration known as National First-Foot Day will take place on January 1 to commemorate the Scottish and North English custom of being the first person to enter your home at the start of the year.
Year | Date | Day | Where |
2023 | 1st January | Monday | United States |
2025 | 1st January | Wednesday | United States |
2026 | 1st January | Thursday | United States |
Twitter Hashtags:
#NationalFirst-FootDay
#First-FootDay
Why National First-Foot Day?
Today’s “first-footer” tend to be a male who is a friend or relative and gives goodies including fruitcake, coal, shortbread, or whisky. The gifts are meant to symbolise a variety of luxuries and prosperity. For instance, shortbread denotes an abundance of food, whisky denotes cheerful spirits, and coal denotes cosiness and warmth.
Many often do a hidden public rite at a later time. Many first-footing traditions, like bringing coal, knocking on doors, and singing Auld Lang Syne together to welcome the new year, are reminiscent of Samhain, the Celtic new year, when food was gathered by reciting verses door to door, fuel was gathered, and a ritual fire was lit to welcome crossing the threshold into the afterlife
Bringing fortune to a residence for the coming year is the main objective of this day. The ability to bring luck into one’s home, however, is not possessed by everyone. A tall, dark-haired stranger should enter the room first, for the best chance of success. Darker hair is generally considered to be bad for men.
The basis for this is the analogy between blonde foreigners and Viking invaders. With shortbread, silver coins, salt, and a little booze, the first person should enter the house. Black bun, a rich fruit cake, is another option you have. Not just good fortune but also comfort, happiness, and financial success are among them.
How can we observe National First-Foot Day:
- Perform “Auld Lang Syne” aloud.
Singing this song on New Year’s Eve and into National First Foot Day has now become recognised as tradition in many other countries as well as Scotland because Robert Burns was a well-known Scotsman and poet.
- Be the first to strike.
In exchange for the symbolic gifts offered by the first footer, which could be anything from a silver coin to shortbread, salt, coal, or whisky, the villages will give food and drink.
- Share on social media
The hashtag #NationalFirstFootDay can be used on social media to share photos of you singing and dancing with friends and family on this special day.
Interesting Facts On National First-Foot Day:
- The Gaelic custom of “qualtagh,” which inspired first footing, is still in use today. While some people might signal good success for the future year, others might predict bad fortune.
- In an effort to bring luck for the new year, Scottish families have been hosting visitors from the dawn of time.
- First footer, it is thought that males with black hair will bring luck to Scotland, whereas men with light hair, redheads, and women are said to bring bad luck.
- The “pothariko” ceremony, which has its roots in Greece, is based on the notion that the first person to step into a new year can either bring good or bad luck with them.
- The custom of sending one visitor home from a party just before the bells ring so they can knock on the door as the new year begins stems from the desire for the first footer to be someone who wasn’t already inside the residence when the clock struck midnight.
- Similar customs can be found in Georgia under the name “Mekvle,” which comes from the Serbian Polaznik and the term for “footprint” (“kvali”).
- Greek custom dictates that following the first footing, the lady of the house prepares celebratory meals to further secure fortune in the new year.
History Of National First-Foot Day:
The earliest recorded instances of first-footing are unknown, but they may be connected to the Viking conquest of the British Isles: This most likely dates back to the Viking Age, when it would have been terrifying to meet a blond stranger at your door. British Isles residents immigrated to many nations, primarily the United States, where the practise spread to the local communities and cultures.
The villages will provide food and drink in exchange for the first footer’s symbolic gifts, which may be anything from a silver coin to shortbread to salt to coal to whisky. However, there will be more! A man with black hair, who is not fair, and who must have flat feet should be the first person to enter the house, according to old folklore and tradition.
More than a millennium have passed since the first National First Foot Day was observed, and it is frequently linked to the Scottish celebration “Hogmanay.” According to legend, Viking invaders brought the First Foot custom to Northern England’s Cumbria and Scotland.
The day is additionally observed by Island of Man citizens. Boys younger than 10 have traditionally been the first runners in the neighbourhoods. Boys with black hair sing poems for folks in their houses in various communities. The villagers would benefit from these men’s arrival for the full year, and in return, they would be given delicious food and wine. Since then, the first day of the new year has been designated as National First Foot Day.
The tradition of “first-footing ,” which has its origins in Scottish and Northern English folklore and is honoured in various ways around the world, is what we celebrate today. According to this custom, the first individual to enter a home at the start of a new year will bring luck for the next year. They were in the home when it happened, so they had to be outside when midnight struck. They are welcome to stay there if they so choose.