In Italy, red underwear is traditionally associated with good luck at New Year's.
Wearing red garments, especially red underwear, is a popular Italian New Year's custom linked with luck, love, fertility, and prosperity. In some versions of the tradition, the item should be new, and some people say it should be received as a gift or discarded after New Year's Eve. Practices vary by family and region rather than following one national rule.
The color red has long carried associations with vitality and protection in European festive customs. This tradition is cultural and symbolic, not a religious requirement. It is also different from wearing red clothing during Lunar New Year celebrations in several Asian cultures, where red can have related but distinct meanings connected with fortune and protection.