If you find should yourself spending New Year’s Eve in a Spanish-speaking country, you may notice that the locals have an interesting tradition of their own for this special night. As the big moment nears, participants will suspend clusters of grapes over their mouths (or have a loose handful of them) and eat one with each clock strike of midnight. These are “las doce uvas de la suerte” (the twelve grapes of fortune), which of course is what everyone wishes themselves and others for the coming year - one grape for each month of the year, and each chime of the clock leading up to midnight.
This colorful – and tasty – tradition dates back to the end of the 19th century in Spain. Personally, I would recommend they be seedless – makes it a little easier. And as you can also imagine, most people can’t get them all down by the last stroke of the clock, so you end up with everyone standing around with mouths stuffed full of grapes and trying not to laugh or choke. Here’s a fun video of how it was done one year at a party in Granada, Spain.
¡Feliz año nuevo!
Comments