The
men of Britain had to time it just right. He had to purchase or
gather treats such as cakes and breads and cheeses, and then he had
to lurk about, waiting for midnight, and then he could “firstfoot”
by being the first to cross the threshold of somebody's home in the New
Year.
Firstfooting, an English and Scotish tradition, was supposed to bring the family luck. However, if the firstfooter
had flat feet or – oh, the horror! – blond hair, some other man
would do the firstfooting duties to bring luck (because flat feet and
fair hair weren't so lucky, I guess?). Apparently firstfooting was so
popular, the streets were more crowded between midnight and 1 a.m. on
New Year's Day than they were at any normal busy daytime.
According
to my sources, firstfooting is still common in some areas of Britain
and even the U.S.
Also
on this date:
New Year's Day (also here and here)
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