Among the many taboos and rituals connected with the Lunar New Year in Vietnam is xong dat, or “first-footing” as the Scots call it.

It is a deep-rooted belief that the first person to enter the house in a year will have a bearing on the family’s fortune through the year. Thus, the rich and popular are invited to come home at that time. 

Traditionally, the first visitor hands out “lucky” money and New Year gifts to the hosts and seldom stays longer than a few minutes. This is to ensure that things do not get “stuck” in the new year.

But like many other traditions, xong dat too has evolved into a personal belief without a strict interpretation. It is altered to suit each family and varies according to region.

What has remained unchanged is the fact that a person who can bring luck should be the first-footer.

The flip side is that Vietnamese are chary of visiting anyone’s house early on New Year’s Day for fear they may be held responsible for any possible misfortune.

“I still remember the year when my husband suffered from a serious illness and passed away,” an elderly woman in Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City, said.

“An unwanted guest visited us early morning on the first day and I cannot help recalling that experience.”

Who will bring luck?

There are several important qualities a family will look for to find their first-footer: The person’s Chinese Zodiac sign is the most common, especially in the northern and central parts.

In Chinese astrology, each year -- and a person born in that year -- is represented by an animal in a cycle of 12 signs. The hosts ask a fortuneteller to identify the animal that is luckiest for a particular year and themselves.

“I [ask] for a sign compatible with my husband’s because he is our family’s breadwinner,” Le Anh Dao, a public official in Tan Binh District, said.

“It is important because the compatibility of Zodiac signs under which we are born and derive our fate from determines everything important in our life -- family, career, health, and luck.”

But in other families, sign compatibility is not a big deal.

“I don’t look at the person’s sign. As long as the person is good, healthy, and cheerful, I am fine,” the elderly women in Tan Binh district said.

“I would even prefer a family member who I can trust and know well rather than some distant relative even if he or she has the right Zodiac sign. I want to make sure of my family’s luck.”

First-footers also need to have a bright and cheerful disposition, good health, career success, and a happy family, things people normally aspire for in the new year.

Personal beliefs and experiences have already altered xong dat and it is now the turn of modernization and consumerism in urban areas, with agencies like Hoa Da in Hanoi offering xong dat services.

For VND600,000 (US$31), Hoa Da will dispatch an embodiment of luck to your house for 30 minutes. Young men born under various Zodiac signs and with good looks and a lively and cheerful countenance are hired by such agencies to call on families who do not mind paying to get the right first-footers.

Customers are also provided consultation on signs and identification cards of first-footers as proof.