Hello friends. As the New Year is approaching, in today’s Dica we’ll learn about New Year’s Eve colors.
New Year’s Eve Colors
Oh my god, the year is almost over. Did you feel it passing by? It’s like I blinked and another year is about to begin. So, right now, it’s time to celebrate! We have to think about what we want for the next year and put good energy into our thoughts to make it happen.
In Brazil, we have a cultural tradition related to colors. We have New Year’s Eve colors that represent specific things that we want to happen in the coming year. We’ll explain it to you in a bit, but before that, do you have any traditions like this in your country? What color is the most common to use for Réveillon?
And if you want to review or learn all the basic color names in Portuguese before continuing, check out our Dica do Dia: Colors in Portuguese. It’s a great complement to today’s lesson.
Did you know that people in Brazil sometimes wear underwear with the colors that represent what they want in the new year? So, it’s very common to see people wearing white clothes and probably underneath, they are wearing secret underwear with the color of their wishes.
🌟 Why Colors Matter on New Year’s Eve in Brazil
Choosing your color for New Year’s Eve isn’t random — it’s a fun cultural ritual. Each color carries its own meaning. Whether you’re celebrating with us at Copacabana, attending one of our RioLIVE! activities, or joining our group Portuguese classes, you’ll see that everyone carefully picks an outfit (or underwear!) to attract what they want for the new year.
Here’s how we teach this tradition to our students:
Portuguese Practice:
Que cor você vai usar no Réveillon?
Translation: What color are you going to wear on New Year’s Eve?
Now, let’s expand each color into its own section — ready?
The colors that you wear express your desires for the future year, so let’s learn them:
🤍 White – Peace and New Beginnings

If you want peace and calm, you should wear something white. One nice thing about Réveillon in Brazil is that white is the official color, so the majority of people usually wear white. Is it like this in your country too? It’s the preferred color for New Year’s Eve, so on this date you can see a sea of white clothes out on the streets.
White is the number one New Year’s Eve color in Brazil and what most people wear on the beach.
Wearing white represents:
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| Paz | Peace |
| Harmonia | Harmony |
| Novos começos | New beginnings |
| Renovação | Renewal |
These meanings are full of adjectives — paz, harmonia, renovação — which makes this a great moment to practice describing things in Portuguese.
Check out our Dica on Portuguese Adjectives to expand your vocabulary even more.Portuguese Tip:
Eu vou usar branco para ter paz no ano novo.
Translation: I’m going to wear white to have peace in the new year.
Gray — Prosperity & Modernity

To have prosperity and modernity you should wear gray.
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| Prosperidade | Prosperity |
| Modernidade | Modernity |
| Progresso | Progress |
| Inovação | Innovation |
| Sucesso | Success |
| Equilíbrio | Balance |
Phrase:
To have prosperity and modernity you should wear gray.
Para ter prosperidade e modernidade, você deve usar cinza.
💚 Green – Health and Hope

Green is the color that represents harmony and hope, and it’s deeply connected to ideas of balance and well-being:
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| Saúde | Health |
| Esperança | Hope |
| Equilíbrio | Balance |
| Cura | Healing |
| Bem-estar | Well-being |
If you want a year filled with well-being — saúde! — green is your best option.
💙 Blue – Serenity and Protection

For intimacy and maturity you must wear blue!
Blue brings:
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| Serenidade | Serenity |
| Calma | Calm |
| Proteção | Protection |
| Sabedoria | Wisdom |
| Tranquilidade | Tranquility |
If you’re wishing for a more peaceful year, blue is your friend.
🌸 Pink – Love and Romance

If you wear pink, it means you’re looking for romance and affection — while red represents passion, pink reflects a tender, sweet kind of love. So, wear pink if you want:
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| Amor | Love |
| Romance | Romance |
| Carinho | Affection |
| Doçura | Sweetness |
| Relacionamento | Relationship |
During our classes, students often laugh when they ask whether wearing pink really works — Brazilians will always say: “Não custa tentar!” (“Can’t hurt to try!”)
💛 Yellow – Wealth and Prosperity

Wearing yellow represents that you want prosperity and optimism.
Yellow is the color of dinheiro (money!) and good fortune.
Wear yellow if you want:
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| Dinheiro | Money |
| Riqueza | Wealth |
| Prosperidade | Prosperity |
| Sucesso | Success |
| Carreira | Career |
| Fortuna | Fortune |
Our students often choose yellow when they want a year filled with new job opportunities or personal prosperity.
Eu quero atrair dinheiro, então vou usar amarelo!
Translation: I want to attract money, so I’m going to wear yellow!
🥇 Gold — Wealth & Lots of Money

If you want money money money, you should wear gold to have wealth.
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| Dinheiro | Money |
| Riqueza | Wealth |
| Abundância | Abundance |
| Fortuna | Fortune |
| Prosperidade | Prosperity |
| Sucesso financeiro | Financial success |
Phrase:
If you want money money money you should wear gold to have wealth.
Se você quer muito, muito, muito dinheiro, você deve usar dourado para ter riqueza.
🟠 Orange – Creativity and Joy

Want next year to be busy and happy? Wear orange!
Orange is joyful, bright, and expressive.
Wear orange to attract:
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| Criatividade | Creativity |
| Alegria | Joy |
| Confiança | Confidence |
| Motivação | Motivation |
| Entusiasmo | Enthusiasm |
Perfect for anyone starting new projects or seeking inspiration.
🔴 Red – Passion and Intensity

And of course, the universal color of love. To have love and passion: red is the color.
Red is the color of love, but not the calm kind — it’s full of passion, energy, and intensity.
Wear red if you want:
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| Paixão | Passion |
| Desejo | Desire |
| Intensidade | Intensity |
| Amor | Love (romantic) |
| Atração | Attraction |
It’s also a very popular choice for New Year’s underwear if you’re looking for new love.
🟣 Purple – Spirituality and Transformation
Purple represents:
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| Espiritualidade | Spirituality |
| Intuição | Intuition |
| Transformação | Transformation |
| Evolução | Evolution |
| Misticismo | Mysticism |
| Clareza interior | Insight |
| Força interior | Inner strength |
Many Brazilians choose purple when they want to break from old habits and start a new cycle.
🖤 Black – Independence and Strength

Wearing black is not a synonym for bad things. It can attract nobility and power.
For New Year’s Eve in Brazil, it is less traditional, but more and more people choose it for:
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| Independência | Independence |
| Poder | Power |
| Força | Strength |
| Mistério | Mystery |
| Autoconfiança | Confidence |
Black can also reflect confidence and a desire for a strong new beginning.
🌈 Multicolor – A Year Full of Everything!

If you can’t decide… choose all the colors!
A multicolor outfit represents:
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| Diversidade | Diversity |
| Alegria | Joy |
| Energia | Energy |
| Tudo | Everything |
| Um pouco de cada | A little of each |
We see many students opt for multicolor when they want a vibrant, exciting year ahead.
🩲 New Year’s Underwear Colors in Brazil

A huge part of the tradition — one that ALL our students get curious about — is the choice of underwear color.
Yes, Brazilians truly believe your underwear sets the tone for your next year!
By the way, if you’d like to review all these color names in Portuguese, we also have a complete Dica do Dia dedicated to that topic: Colors in Portuguese. It pairs perfectly with this New Year’s Eve guide.
White: Peace & harmony
Yellow: Money
Red: Passion
Pink: Love
Green: Health
Blue: Serenity
Purple: Transformation
Orange: Creativity
Black: Independence
It’s fun, harmless, and deeply cultural — perfect for students learning Portuguese and trying to fit in during their first Brazilian New Year.
📚 Learn Portuguese With Us While Celebrating New Year’s!
Whether you join our group classes, learn online, or celebrate in person with us during RioLIVE!, we always help our students choose their New Year’s Eve colors and teach them the vocabulary they need to enjoy the night like a true Carioca.
And if you’re curious about how to describe colors, feelings or New Year wishes in Portuguese, take a look at our Dica on Portuguese Adjectives — it’s a perfect companion to this guide.
Vamos escolher sua cor para o Réveillon?
Translation: Shall we choose your color for New Year’s Eve?
❓ FAQ — New Year’s Eve Colors in Brazil
1. What color should I wear for New Year’s Eve in Brazil?
Most people wear white, but you can choose any color that matches what you want to attract: love, money, peace, health, passion, or creativity.
2. Why do Brazilians wear white on New Year’s Eve?
White symbolizes peace and renewal, and since Réveillon is a spiritual celebration in Brazil, white became the traditional outfit — especially on the beach.
3. What color brings good luck on New Year’s in Brazil?
Different colors bring different types of luck:
Yellow for money
Red or pink for love
Green for health
White for peace
4. Why do Brazilians choose color meanings for New Year’s?
It’s a mix of Afro-Brazilian traditions, spiritual beliefs, and modern culture. Colors express what you want to attract for the new year.
5. What is the best color to wear on the beach for New Year’s in Rio?
White is the classic choice — you’ll blend perfectly with the Carioca tradition.
6. What color underwear should I wear for New Year’s in Brazil?
Wear the color that matches your wishes: yellow for money, red for passion, pink for love, green for health, white for peace, and so on.
Réveillon in Copacabana
Here, in Brazil, we often use the word réveillon to talk about New Years Eve. Copacabana Beach has an incredible street party. You can watch the fireworks from the beach and enjoy the night with your friends. People often get in the water too to celebrate the new year. Réveillon at Rio de Janeiro is wild!
Now let’s practice the New Year’s Eve colors with this exercise. Take a look at the picture and tell us the colors of our student’s clothes – in Portuguese, of course. Ready? What are the colors of each student’s top?

Extra challenge: Can you say the color of the cap and the shirt of the last student?
Ok, as you choose your colors and make your wishes, we hope the New Year brings everything you dream of — peace, love, health, joy, or maybe a little bit of everything.
Thank you for sharing this moment with us. Até a próxima Dica, and may your New Year be full of luz and felicidade. ✨💫
Click in the links below to see some related Dicas
Portuguese Adjectives
Colors in Portuguese
The Brazilian Flag
Rio de Janeiro New Years
Rio de Janeiro Metro
Answers
- O estudante 1 está usando uma camisa rosa.
- A estudante 2 está usando um vestido azul/jeans
- O estudante 3 está usando uma camisa amarela.
- O estudante 4 está usando uma camisa azul escura.
- Extra challenge: O último estudante está usando um boné amarelo e uma camisa com as cores verde, azul, amarelo e bege.
Online Academic Coordinator at Rio & Learn Portuguese School.
Experienced educational coordinator and teacher since 2007, adept in curriculum development, creating physical and digital educational materials, and leveraging online platforms to enhance learning outcomes
