East and West, Red is Best—Ringing in the New Year!
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Red has always been a symbol of strength, life, and wealth. In Chinese culture, red is donned for weddings and important ceremonies, and red envelopes of money are given to start couples out with fortune and luck on their wedding day. The Virgin Mary wears red as a symbol of the blood shed during childbirth and soldiers would wear red to keep up confidence in battles…it was hard to tell when someone was injured and bleeding under a red coat.
Wearing red underwear to ring in the New Year is a tradition that is still commonly used in China and Italy but don’t forget that Chinese New Year starts with the first new moon that comes between January 21- February 20. In China, red symbolizes loyalty, success, and happiness; and it’s believed to drive away evil spirits—in particular, Nìan, a predatory beast that eats humans.
Red Envelope
Image | Mae Mu, Unsplash
In Italy, the tradition of wearing a red cloth to ring in the New Year dates to the Emperor Octavian Augustus and symbolized power, health and fertility. As the first Roman emperor, he is credited with ringing in the Pax Romana, a 200-year period of Roman peace, so it’s easy to understand how traditions like this took hold. During the medieval era, it’s said that men would don a red loin cloth to protect their “family jewels” from witches and ward off bad luck. In modern times, this tradition is carried on by men and women alike on New Year’s Eve in the form of red underwear. Ideally, the boxers, bras, panties, and garters should be a gift, worn inside out, turned around after midnight and thrown out the next day…out with the old and in with the new. I am personally not a big fan of throwing away perfectly good garments, but I love the idea of ringing in the New Year with an eye to the future and openness to change.
Red lingerie for luck
Image | Emilio Garcia, Unsplash
Whatever traditions you choose to greet the New Year, we at the Guide Collective wish you good health, prosperity, and adventure in 2022!
