Housewarming party

The hosts present their new home to their friends, post-moving, and for friends to give gifts to furnish the new home.

The English term "housewarming" literally comes from the act of warming a new house, in the days before central heating.

Each guest would bring firewood as a gift and build fires in all available fireplaces.

Aside from warming the house, this was believed to repel evil spirits by creating a protective atmosphere of warmth.

Uninhabited houses were considered targets for vagrant spirits, and therefore houses were believed to require cleansing before they were safe to be occupied by young children.