Many superstitions surround New Year’s Eve, some related to religion. In Brazil it has been tradition to wear white. A tradition that marks the influence of African religions and specifically to honour Iemanjá, the Queen of the Sea, and the other Orishas.

There is also a superstition in Brazil surrounding the colour of the underwear worn on the night, which should be new – although being “new” might have been a rumour started by the boutiques in Rio de Janeiro and Salvador.

So the colour white also gained other meanings over the years related to peace and renewal in the new year, and that could be reflected in your choice of underwear for New Year.

If white is peace and renewal, yellow and gold are associated with prosperity and money; blue with calm and harmony;  green to hope for better days, and so on. So to help you choose the right colour for your underwear for New Year, and give you time to go out and buy it. Here is the colour coding you need:

White: most traditional, it brings peace, purity and light to the New Year, as the colour is a mixture of all the other colours 

Yellow: A colour of underwear that has gained the most fans in recent years because it is related to financial prosperity and money all year round. 

Orange: Also related to prosperity, good opportunities and the courage to take risks. 

Green: Associated with hope and serenity for those who want a more balanced 2025. 

Blue: Linked to calm and harmony, but it also has to do with the expansion of consciousness through faith and intuition. 

Pink: Linked to love and relationships. Both for those looking for love and for those who want to harmonise energies and communication with their partner.

Red: Colour of passion, seduction and sensuality. Wearing red knickers or underwear is for those who want more energy, especially in their sex life. 

Purple or violet: Colours linked to transformation, can be used to attract a change in your life.

Brown and earthy tones: Brings security and confidence, as it is the colour linked to the earth.

Beige: For harmony and emotional stability.

Black: The symbol of power and sophistication, black brings a dose of mystery to the New Year. 

50 years ago, on Monday, 4 March 1974, the Presidente Costa e Silva Bridge, better known as the Ponte Rio–Niterói, opened to traffic for the first time.

Construction on the bridge began symbolically on 9 November 1968, in the presence of Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh, with the actual construction work beginning in late December 1968. It was Britain that helped to build the bridge with sections shipped out from the UK to Rio.

From its completion in 1974 until 1985 it was the world’s second-longest bridge, and today is the 48th longest in the world and second longest in Latin America. It is 13.29 kilometres (8.26 miles) long – 8.836 kilometres (5.490 miles) of which is over water. At the time it was completed, the central span was the longest box girder in the world.

Prior to the bridge’s completion people either had to take a ferry or drive 120 km around Guanabara Bay to go from Rio to Niteroi (and Buzios).