Walk past a lingerie shop in Rome or Madrid in the last week of December and the window changes color. The neutrals and blacks move to the back, and the front is full of red: lace briefs, satin bras, boxed sets with a ribbon around them, cheap cotton pairs stacked by the register next to the batteries and gift cards. Fly to Santiago or Lima the same week and the stack by the register is yellow. None of this is a sale. It is the run-up to a New Year's Eve custom kept across southern Europe and Latin America, by some people half-jokingly and by others very seriously.
Below: what the color means in each place, what is known (and not known) about where it started, and how to wear it under a party dress.
What the Red Underwear Tradition Means
The short version: you put on red underwear on December 31 so the coming year brings love, luck, or both. The details shift from country to country and from family to family.
Italy: intimo rosso for love and good fortune
In Italy, red underwear (intimo rosso) on New Year's Eve is usually explained as a charm for good fortune and love in the year ahead, and as a way of keeping bad luck away. Many Italians will tell you the pair should be new. Others insist it only works if someone else gave it to you, which is why red underwear is such a common small Christmas gift there: a pair tucked into a stocking or handed over at a family dinner, often with a wink.
Some households add a final step: the pair is worn that one night and then thrown out on New Year's Day, taking the old year's bad luck with it. Not everyone does this, and plenty of people keep a good red set for years. Ask three Italian friends and you may get three different rules.
Spain: red underwear and twelve grapes
In Spain the red underwear goes with the better-known ritual of las doce uvas, eating twelve grapes, one on each chime of midnight, for twelve lucky months. People watch the clock in Madrid's Puerta del Sol on television, try to keep up with the bells, and the red underwear is the quieter half of the evening, worn under the party clothes. As in Italy, you will hear that it should be new, that it should be a gift, or both.
Latin America: red for love, yellow for money
Across Latin America the custom splits by color. In Mexico, a common version says red underwear brings love and yellow brings luck and prosperity, so you choose based on what you want from the year. In Chile, Peru, Ecuador and much of the region, yellow is the stronger tradition, linked to prosperity and happiness, and in Chile it is often expected to be a gift. Some families go further and attach meanings to green, white or pink, though those versions vary a lot from place to place.
In Brazil the outward color is white: crowds on the beaches dress in white for Reveillon, and colored underwear underneath carries the wish for the year. Here too, the specific color code depends on who is explaining it.
Where the Custom Actually Comes From
Nobody knows for sure. You will find articles tracing red underwear back to the Roman Saturnalia, to medieval beliefs about red as a protective color, or to Chinese New Year, where red is a strong luck color. None of these links is well documented. The Roman story in particular gets repeated a lot, usually without any source attached.
For the Latin American yellow tradition, some accounts point to Andean indigenous practices, while others note that much of the region's New Year folklore arrived with Spanish and Portuguese settlers. It is likely a mix, and it is likely that the custom grew the way most folk traditions grow: one family's habit, a shopkeeper who noticed what sold in December, a story that got better each time it was told.
What is clear is why red works as a symbol. It is the color of the heart, of celebration, of warmth in the middle of winter. Wearing it close to the skin on the night the year turns over is a private gesture, which is a big part of its appeal. Nobody at the party has to know. If you are interested in why what you wear underneath can shift how you feel, our piece on the psychology of lingerie goes into that in more depth.
How to Keep the Tradition Yourself
If you want to try it, the "rules" are flexible enough that you can pick the version that suits you.
- New, if you can. The most widely shared rule is that the pair should be brand new on the night. It does not have to be expensive; a plain red cotton brief counts.
- A gift, if you like the ritual. If you want the version where someone else gives it to you, drop a hint before the holidays, or swap pairs with a friend or sister. It makes a good small present, and our Christmas lingerie gift guide has ideas at several price points.
- Put it on before midnight. Most people dress in it for the evening rather than changing at the last minute.
- Decide about tossing it. If you follow the throw-it-out version, buy accordingly. If you would rather keep a red set you love, the tradition will survive.
You can also treat the color as a choice rather than a rule. Red for love, yellow for a prosperous year, or both if you cannot decide; nobody is checking.
What to Wear Under a New Year's Eve Dress
Here is where the tradition meets real clothes. New Year's Eve outfits tend to be the trickiest of the year to dress under: sequins, sheer panels, slip dresses, open backs. A few practical notes help the red pair work rather than fight with the outfit.
Under a sequin or beaded dress
Sequin dresses are usually lined, but the lining is often thin polyester that clings. Lace with a raised pattern can show as a texture line across the hips once the dress settles. A smooth red microfiber or satin-finish brief with a laser-cut edge, where the fabric is cut and bonded rather than finished with a band of elastic, sits flatter. Check the side seams of the dress too: beaded seams can scratch, and a full-coverage brief protects the skin at the hip better than a thong.
Under a slip dress or anything silky
Bias-cut satin and silk slip dresses show everything: elastic edges, lace scallops, the seam down the middle of a brief. Red under a black or deep jewel-tone slip dress will not show through the color, but its outline can. A seamless red thong or a bonded brief with no visible edge is the easy answer. If you want lace, keep it to a bra under a slip with enough coverage at the neckline and choose a smooth bottom.
Under white, cream or pale colors
Red under white will show. Even a heavy cream crepe can let a red brief read as a pink shadow under bright party lighting or a camera flash. If you are dressing in white, especially for a Brazilian-style beach Reveillon, either accept a little glow as part of the fun or keep the tradition in a different way: a red bra under a lined top, red socks, or a red pair in your bag to change into after the photos.
Under backless, strapless and low-cut styles
The underwear tradition says nothing about the bra, so you can match the red brief with whatever your neckline needs: a strapless bra, a low-back convertible, stick-on cups or nothing at all. If you want a matched red set and the dress is strapless, check the band before the night. A strapless bra relies on its band and side boning for hold, so try it with the dress and lift your arms over your head a few times, the way you will when the countdown starts.
If the evening is a date as much as a party, our date night lingerie guide covers fabrics and styles that feel good to wear for hours, not just to unwrap.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the red underwear have to be a gift?
It depends on who you ask. In Italy and Spain many people say a new pair works fine, while others say it only brings luck if someone else bought it for you. In Chile the yellow version is often expected to be a gift, so if you want the full ritual, ask a friend to swap pairs with you.
Can men wear red underwear on New Year's Eve too?
Yes. The custom is not limited by gender, and in Italy and Spain red boxers and briefs for men sell in the same December rush. Couples sometimes buy matching red pairs for each other as a small joke gift.
What do other underwear colors mean on New Year's?
The best-known pairing is red for love and yellow for prosperity, common in Mexico and much of South America. Some families add white for peace, green for health or pink for friendship, but these meanings are local and inconsistent. Pick the one whose wish you like best.
Do you have to throw the underwear away on New Year's Day?
Only in some households. The idea is that the old pair carries off the old year's bad luck, but plenty of people simply wash it and keep it. If you have a red set you love, keeping it is a perfectly ordinary version of the tradition.
One last tip: buy your red pair early and wash it once before the night. A new brief can carry excess dye, and deep reds are among the shades most prone to bleeding onto skin or a pale dress lining once you are warm from dancing. Wash it cold, on its own, and if the rinse water runs pink, wash it again.
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