A party held to celebrate moving into a new home.
Housewarming literally meant warming up a cold, empty house - but originally this was done with fire, not friendship. In medieval times, the first act in a new dwelling was lighting the hearth, which had spiritual significance for making the space liveable and driving out evil spirits. Guests brought wood, coal, or peat to help 'warm' the house. The social celebration aspect developed later, but the core idea of making a cold space welcoming remains.
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