In Italy's New Year's Eve tradition, red underwear is associated with luck and prosperity.
Wearing red garments, especially red underwear, is a popular Italian New Year custom. Red is commonly linked with good fortune, love, vitality, and protection from misfortune as people enter the new year. The practice is often treated as a playful ritual as well as a symbolic wish for a successful year.
The custom is frequently connected in popular explanations with older European beliefs about the protective power of red. Modern versions are also reinforced by seasonal advertising and gift-giving, so the tradition can vary considerably from one household or region to another.
Red underwear is not Italy's only New Year symbol. Lentils are also associated with prosperity because their shape resembles coins, and cotechino with lentils is a well-known festive combination. The underwear custom is therefore a color tradition, not a claim that every Italian follows one mandatory national ritual.