In Colombia’s New Year’s Eve tradition, yellow underwear is commonly worn to attract good luck and prosperity.
The custom is part of a wider set of Colombian New Year rituals involving luck, abundance, and hopes for the year ahead. Yellow is popularly associated with prosperity and positive fortune, so some people wear yellow underwear during the celebration or give it as a symbolic gift.
New Year’s Eve in Colombia is called Nochevieja or Año Nuevo in everyday usage, and celebrations may also include family meals, music, fireworks, and regional customs. The underwear tradition is not a legal or religious requirement; it is a popular superstition whose exact meaning can vary between families and communities.
Color customs differ around the world. Red is often linked with love in some countries, while white may symbolize peace elsewhere. Those associations should not be substituted for Colombia’s commonly cited yellow prosperity tradition.