Overview
- The custom holds that wearing red lingerie on New Year’s Eve brings good fortune, romance and success, with store staff in Rome and German department stores noting strong interest and prominent displays.
- Reports describe a clear uptick in purchases and online offerings in the days before New Year, reflecting broader cultural uptake beyond Italy, Spain and France.
- The tradition’s origins remain disputed, with explanations pointing either to ancient Rome under Emperor Augustus or to longstanding Chinese symbolism of red as a lucky color.
- Older prescriptions say the garment should be new, gifted and worn only once before being discarded, though recent coverage notes these rules are frequently relaxed as impractical or unsustainable.
- Media also highlight color meanings for other choices—blue for health and wealth, white for purity and peace, green for hope and fertility—and note a related Italian custom of eating lentils at midnight for prosperity.