Scottish New Year

In Scotland, where New Years Eve is called Hogmanay, there is an old tradition called "first footing," in which the first person to enter a home after the new year determines what kind of year the residents will have. The first person over the doorstep after midnight should be a male with dark hair. The "first footer" often brings symbolic gifts like coal to keep the house warm or baked goods such as shortbread, oat cakes, and a fruit caked called black bun, to make sure the household always has food.