In Italy, wearing red is a New Year's Eve tradition associated with luck and prosperity.
People may wear a red garment or red underwear during the transition into the new year. The practice is especially associated with romantic good fortune, vitality, and the hope of warding off bad luck. Its exact details differ between families and regions, so it is better understood as a popular custom than as a single formal ritual.
Red has a long symbolic history in European and Mediterranean cultures. It can suggest energy, celebration, love, and protection, which helps explain why the color became prominent in seasonal customs. Modern advertising and fashion have also helped spread the tradition beyond Italy.
This custom is sometimes confused with the Spanish grape ritual or with Latin American color traditions. Those practices use different objects or colors and do not define the Italian New Year's Eve custom. Wearing red is the key identifying detail in the Italian version.