Lorraine Williamson
By early December, Spanish shop windows begin to change. Among the Christmas lights and festive displays, one colour quietly takes over: red. Lingerie shops, high-street chains, and even corner bazaars fill their shelves with scarlet slips, bras, and boxers.
It is not a fashion trend. It is superstition — and one that still carries real meaning for many Spaniards as the year draws to a close.
A colour linked to luck, love and protection
The belief is simple. Wearing red underwear on New Year’s Eve is said to attract good luck for the year ahead. Red has long been associated with vitality, desire and protection, and the tradition is observed across Spain, from Andalucía to Catalonia.
Some people embrace it fully. Others wear red discreetly, just for midnight. But on Nochevieja, the colour carries symbolic weight, even for those who claim not to believe in superstition.
Why you’re not supposed to buy it yourself
According to custom, red underwear works best when it is received as a gift. Buying it for yourself is thought to dilute its effect.
This belief has turned red lingerie into a seasonal present, exchanged between partners, friends and even family members in the days leading up to New Year’s Eve. Retailers understand the ritual well. Stock appears weeks in advance, knowing demand peaks long before 31 December.
Where the tradition comes from
The origins are debated, but historians tend to point in two directions.
In medieval Europe, red was believed to ward off illness and misfortune, yet wearing it openly was sometimes frowned upon. Keeping it hidden, close to the body, allowed people to benefit from its protective symbolism without attracting attention.
Others trace the tradition further back, to ancient beliefs linking red to fertility, passion and renewal — themes closely tied to the turning of the year.
Whatever its precise roots, the custom became firmly embedded in Spanish popular culture during the twentieth century and has survived changing fashions ever since.
One ritual among many on Nochevieja
Red underwear is only part of Spain’s New Year’s Eve choreography. At midnight, the country comes to a standstill for the twelve grapes ritual, with one grape eaten for each chime of the clock.
It is a moment shared across living rooms, town squares and television screens, uniting people in a collective wish for a better year ahead. The red underwear tradition fits neatly into this wider culture of optimism, humour and shared belief.
Spanish Christmas traditions explained
Why the shops never miss the moment
For shopkeepers, December red is as predictable as Christmas lights or the arrival of the Three Kings in January. From luxury boutiques to low-cost stores, the colour signals not romance but ritual.
Whether or not people truly believe in its power, the act of wearing red has become a small, hopeful gesture — a way of marking endings and beginnings at the same time.
So… Is There a Yellow Underwear Tradition Too?
Yes, although it is far less widespread in Spain. In some Latin American countries, particularly Mexico, Colombia and parts of Peru, yellow underwear is worn on New Year’s Eve to attract money, success and prosperity rather than love or general luck.
In Spain, yellow underwear occasionally appears in shops and is sometimes adopted playfully, especially by younger people or those influenced by Latin American customs. However, it remains secondary to red and is not considered a traditional Spanish ritual in the same way.
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