In Italy’s New Year’s Eve tradition, red is the color associated with lucky underwear.
Wearing red garments, including underwear, is a popular Italian New Year custom linked with luck, love, vitality, and prosperity. The tradition is especially visible in the period leading up to December 31, when shops often promote red clothing as a festive gift or novelty purchase.
Some versions of the custom add rules about receiving the garment as a gift or wearing it only for the transition into the new year. These details differ by family and region, so the stable common feature is the association between New Year’s Eve and the color red.
The practice is cultural rather than an official ceremony, and it is sometimes connected in popular explanations with older ideas about red as a protective or celebratory color. It should not be confused with Italy’s separate New Year food traditions, such as lentils, which symbolize prosperity.