h settlers on American
manners. The custom is now rapidly falling into disuse,{7} but in New
York up to the middle of the nineteenth century "New Year's Day was
devoted to the universal interchange of visits. Every door was thrown
wide open. It was a breach of etiquette to omit any acquaintance in these
annual calls, when old friendships were renewed and family differences
amicably settled. A hearty welcome was extended even to strangers of
presentable appearance." At that time the day was marked by tremendous
eating and drinking, and its visiting customs sometimes developed into
wild riot. Young men in barouches would rattle from one house to another
all day long. "The ceremony of calling was a burlesque. There was a noisy
and hilarious greeting, a glass of wine was swallowed hurriedly,
everybody shook hands all round, and the callers dashed out and rushed
into the carriage and were driven rapidly to the next house."{8}

The New Year calling to offer good wishes resembles in some respects the
widespread custom of "first-footing," based on the belief that the
character of the first visitor on New Year's Day affects the welfare of
the household during the year. We have already met with a "first-foot" in
the _polaznik_ of the southern Slavs on Christmas Day. It is to be borne
in mind that for them, or at all events for the Crivoscian highlanders
whose customs are described by Sir Arthur Evans, Christmas is essentially
the festival of the New Year: New Year's Day is not spoken of at all, its
name and ceremonies being completely absorbed by the feasts of "Great"
and "Little" Christmas.{9}

The "first-foot" superstition is found in countries as far apart as
|324| Scotland and Macedonia. Let us begin with some English examples of
it. In Shropshire the most important principle is that if luck is to rest
on a house the "first-foot" must not be a woman. To provide against such
an unlucky accident as that a woman should call first, people often
engage a friendly man or boy to pay them an early visit. It is
particularly interesting to find a Shropshire parallel to the
_polaznik's_ action in going straight to the hearth and striking sparks
from the Christmas log,[114] when Miss Burne tells us that one old man
who used to "let the New Year in" "always entered without knocking or
speaking, and silently stirred the fire before he offered any greeting to
the family."{10}

In the villages of the Teme valley, Worcestershire and Herefor