If we continue to offer pink panties at Christmas in Argentina, the tradition has of course evolved over the generations. This underwear today symbolizes happiness, prosperity and luck. Argentines are quite superstitious. This is usually seen during football matches where they have many customs to ward off bad luck.
In this case, for the superstition to work, the pink panties must, or “bombacha rosa”, or brand new, offered on Christmas Eve, by a woman, usually older, and above all, it must be worn on the evening of December 31 to start the year under the best auspices. “It’s a custom, explains Silvia, 70, who went this week to make her annual purchase in an underwear store in Buenos Aires. My mother-in-law always gave me one and then I continued with my daughter, my daughter-in-law and now my granddaughter. “
“Every year, I give each of them pink panties. And if I don’t, they get upset, it’s like I wanted to hurt them!”
Sylvia, 70 years oldto franceinfo
The item sells a lot at the end of the year, as do the Christmas decorations. Moreover, when we walk in the streets of Buenos Aires, we can see in the windows walls covered with pink panties. Veronica, for example, an employee in an underwear store, confirms that it is one of the best-selling products. She shows us a large box full of pink panties: “We have about 12 cases like that, because we have something for everyone. Thongs, thongs, high knickers, or traditional ones. We sell a lot of them. This represents 30 to 40% of our sales. ‘buy pink panties for the whole family. And the week before Christmas they all come to the store. “
To find the origin of this tradition of offering pink panties, we must first go back to a Catholic tradition. During Advent, it is customary to light a candle every Sunday before Christmas. Candles are normally purple, the liturgical color except the third, representing joy at the imminent birth of Jesus, which is pink. It is also the color of the chasuble that priests wear for Mass on the third Sunday of Advent.
Pink, the color of birth, has become in popular beliefs a symbol of fertility. This is why it is a purely feminine tradition. Thirty years ago, putting on pink panties for the New Year bodes well for a fertile year. Today, it is rather a sign of a fulfilling sexuality for the new year or more generally of happiness.