Threshold
The doorway of a home, treated in many cultures as a place of blessing and caution.
Also: doorway customs
In many cultures the threshold of a house has special meaning, as the point between inside and outside, safe and unknown. People remove their shoes before crossing it, avoid stepping on it, touch the doorpost or kiss the mezuzah, hang charms, draw rangoli and offer bread and salt. The groom carries the bride across it in some Western weddings, and a newborn is shown to the door in some Asian customs. Some traditions say it is where spirits dwell, and a guest is greeted there. Because the doorway is where a household meets the world, it is the first place decorated for festivals.
Region: Europe