In Italy, wearing red clothing or underwear on New Year's Eve is traditionally believed to bring good luck.
The custom is especially associated with welcoming the new year while seeking fortune, prosperity, and positive energy. Red garments or accessories are commonly described as a festive superstition, and red underwear is a particularly recognizable modern version of the practice.
Italian New Year's Eve customs also include a celebratory dinner, fireworks, and regional foods. Lentils are often associated with coins and prosperity, while some older accounts connect throwing out possessions with leaving the past behind. Practices differ across families and regions, so not every Italian household follows every custom.
The red garment tradition is sometimes given a more specific promise, such as love or money. Those interpretations vary by source and locality; the safest common description is good luck. The color itself, rather than a particular brand or garment, is the central feature.