For good luck in the New Year in Spain, you eat 12 grapes ( the twelve lucky grapes ). Here is a breakdown of how this famous tradition works, where it comes from, and how to do it without choking.
🍇 How the Ritual Works
The timing is everything. You cannot just eat them casually; you must eat them in sync with the clock tower bells at midnight on New Year’s Eve (Nochevieja).
The Setup: Everyone has their bowl of 12 grapes ready before midnight.
The Countdown: At midnight, the clock (traditionally the one at the Puerta del Sol in Madrid, broadcast across the country) strikes 12 times.
The Challenge: You must eat one grape for every chime (campanada).
The Goal: If you manage to finish all 12 grapes by the final chime, you are promised a year of good luck and prosperity.
📅 The Meaning
The 12 grapes represent the 12 months of the coming year.
Sweet grapes are said to predict good months.
Sour grapes might predict a difficult month.
Finishing them all ensures luck for the entire year.
📜 Origin Story
There are two main theories about how this started:
The “Marketing” Theory (1909): In 1909, grape growers in Alicante had a massive surplus of grapes. To get rid of them, they invented the tradition of “lucky grapes” to encourage people to buy them for New Year’s Eve.
The “Mockery” Theory (Late 1800s): Wealthy families in Madrid used to copy the French tradition of drinking champagne and eating grapes on New Year’s Eve. Working-class Madrileños supposedly gathered in the main square to mock this by eating grapes as the clock struck midnight.
💡 Pro Tips for Success
It is actually quite difficult to chew and swallow 12 grapes in 12 seconds (the chimes are about 3 seconds apart, but it gets frantic).
Buy Seedless: Seeds will slow you down significantly.
Peel Them: Many Spaniards peel the grapes beforehand or buy cans of pre-peeled, seedless grapes specifically for this night to make them easier to swallow quickly.
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