New Year’s Traditions in Spain: 12 grapes at midnight

Some may know that in Italy on New Year’s Eve there must be a plate of lentils to bring good luck in the New Year. In Spain, the tradition is to eat 12 grapes in approximately 12 seconds as the clock bells mark the final twelve hours of the day (and year)!

People celebrate the New Year with their friends or their family, waiting for a clock tower bell to ring 12 times (whether on TV or live). Some people even spend a few extra minutes to peel the sour skins off their good luck grapes or to remove the seeds. If you prefer, you can buy little tins with 12 seedless grapes peeled and glistening, ready to pack into your mouth at midnight, but let's face it, it is not the same!. To me this is a really fun tradition: it’s always good for a few laughs. There will be people who won’t be able to eat theirs in time.

So, where does this tradition come from? The story goes that some years ago (that is, around 1900) there was a bumper crop of table grapes in Alicante :), where I come from, and the harvesters were going to have tons of surplus grapes that would just rot unless they could somehow get people to buy them. Someone had the bright idea to promote the idea of eating 12 grapes to celebrate the 12 rings of the bell in the New Year's Eve and the rest, is history.

Happy New Year! Feliç any nou! ¡Feliz año nuevo! Urte berri on! Feliz aninovo! Bonne année! Ein gutes neues Jahr! Felice anno nuovo! С Новым Годом! Gott nytt år! Sretna nova godina! Ath bhliain faoi mhaise! Godt nytår!