What red garment is a popular New Year's Eve good-luck tradition in Italy?

Red underwear is a popular New Year's Eve good-luck tradition in Italy.

In this custom, wearing red underwear during the New Year transition is associated with luck, love, prosperity, or protection from misfortune. The practice is especially linked with Italy, although red clothing traditions also appear in other countries and may carry different meanings.

The underwear is often expected to be new, and some versions of the custom say it should be received as a gift rather than bought for oneself. These details are not universal rules: regional, family, and commercial versions differ. The common feature is the color red and its association with vitality and good fortune.

This tradition is separate from Italy's food customs, such as eating lentils, which symbolize coins or wealth because of their shape. Popular New Year's celebrations frequently combine clothing, food, fireworks, and midnight toasts rather than following one fixed national ceremony.