First Foot - [Superstition]

"First Foot" - [Superstition|New Years Traditions] 

• About This legend: It’s said that the first person to cross the threshold of a house on New Year's Day is called "the first foot". To ensure the best luck for the coming year, it is best if the first foot is a dark haired, cross-eyed stranger with a unibrow carrying a shovel full of coal (and other auspicious goodies.) It's also said to be bad luck if the first foot is blonde, red-haired or a woman. The luck that the first-foot brings with them will determine the luck for the household for the rest of the year...

• History: There are many MANY variants to the new years ‘First-Footing’ tradition found across Scotland, the UK, British Islands & France. Some places make a bigger deal of it than others so specifics of the tradition or what it’s called will change with the region. Embellishments & reversals to the above conditions are often commonly added, becoming micro folklore in particular areas too. The specifics of what is considered lucky or unlucky in both the first foot’s appearance & the gifts they bring can be hyper-specified or loose, but generally it's said that it's most fortunate to have it be a ‘man of fair skin, with dark hair.’ or something along those lines. The gifts they bring also change frequently. In addition to ‘the shovel full of coal’ he might bring other auspicious gifts such as silver coins, shortbread, buns, salt, coal, and a drink, usually whisky! Some traditions include the first foot singing “Auld Lang Syne” (or another song) as they burst through the door with their gifts!

["The First Foot" - “A Scottish Custom on New Year's Eve”, published in "The Illustrated London News" 30th Dec 1882]

Happy New Year’s All! The somewhat silly variant of the First Foot was collected & brought to my attention by my editor @cattype and her collection of dictionaries of superstitions. She also says she might have heard it mentioned colloquially in a podcast interview with late actor, Julian Sands. This post was written, drawn and made especially for new years day 2026! So it’s a bit of a slap-job. If you’re more familiar with this European tradition than the canuck and yank who made this post in a day, by all means, share the knowledge! Let’s make 2026 a fun one!

[Art sticker by @Samkalensky (yo, that’s me!) edited by @Cattype part of my Urban Legends and myths sticker collection. ]