Overview
- Shop windows and online listings in Italy feature red underwear for New Year, and a saleswoman at a large Rome department store says red is particularly in demand.
- The superstition, long rooted in Italy and known in Spain, holds that wearing red brings luck, love and prosperity in the new year.
- Traditional prescriptions say the underwear should be new, gifted and discarded after one wear, though German lifestyle coverage now presents a pragmatic take that accepts self-purchase.
- German outlets report growing popularity and emphasize color meanings, with red linked to luck, success and passion, while blue, white and green carry distinct New Year associations.
- Coverage also notes Italy’s lentil-at-midnight dish as a wealth ritual and quotes retailers invoking symbolic history to encourage purchases.