First-Foot
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
First-Foot, in British folklore, especially that of the north and Scotland, the first person who crosses the threshold on Christmas or New Year's Eve. Good or ill luck is believed to be brought the house by First-Foot, and a female First-Foot is regarded with dread. In Lancashire a light-haired man is as unlucky as a woman, and it became a custom for dark-haired males to hire themselves out to take the New Year in. In Worcestershire luck is ensured by stopping the first carol-singer who appears and leading him through the house. In Yorkshire it must always be a male who enters the house first, but his fairness is no objection. In Scotland first-footing was always more elaborate than in England, involving a subsequent entertainment.
Also in Greek culture first-foot has a significant place among Christmas customs, thus it is believed that the first person to enter the house in New Year's Eve is believed to bring either good luck or bad luck, many households till this day keep this tradition and specialy select who enters first into the house. After the first-foot also called "podariko" from "podi" which means foot, the lady of the house servers the quests with Christmas treats to ensure that good luck will come in the New Year.
This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
