Why do they eat grapes on New Year’s Eve in Spain?
If you’ve ever watched Spanish television on New Year’s Eve or found yourself in a Spanish plaza as midnight approaches, you’ll have witnessed one of the country’s most beloved and slightly bonkers traditions.
Eating twelve grapes in twelve seconds as the clock strikes midnight might sound straightforward, but anyone who’s attempted this feat whilst trying not to choke, laugh or spray grape juice over their neighbours knows it’s anything but simple.
The twelve grapes tradition explained
The tradition, known as las doce uvas de la suerte (the twelve grapes of luck), involves eating one grape with each chime of the clock at midnight on New Year’s Eve.
Each grape represents good luck for one month of the coming year, meaning you need to successfully swallow all twelve before the final chime fades if you want a full year of good fortune.
The grapes must be eaten in sync with the campanadas (the bell chimes), creating a frantic race against time that becomes increasingly hilarious as people around you struggle with increasingly full mouths.
Most Spaniards take this surprisingly seriously, and you’ll find special tins of pre-peeled, seedless grapes sold in supermarkets throughout December specifically for the occasion.
This Spanish New Year tradition is observed everywhere from Madrid to Barcelona, Seville to Valencia, making it one of Spain’s most universally celebrated customs.
In Malaga, it’s typically celebrated in Plaza de la Constitución.
SEE MORE: Celebrating New Year’s Eve in Malaga
History of the Spanish grape-eating tradition
The origins of this peculiar custom are somewhat disputed, though most historians agree it dates back to the late 19th or early 20th century.
One popular theory suggests that grape growers in Alicante had a bumper harvest in 1909 and needed to shift their surplus stock, cleverly marketing the fruit as essential for New Year’s celebrations.
Another version claims the tradition began as a satirical response by Madrid’s middle classes to the aristocracy’s habit of drinking champagne and eating grapes at expensive New Year’s parties.
Regardless of its origins, the custom spread rapidly throughout Spain and has been a part of Spanish New Year celebrations for over a century.
Today it’s observed everywhere from the grandest plaza to the smallest village square, and even Spaniards living abroad go to considerable lengths to source their midnight grapes.
How to eat New Year’s Eve grapes without choking
Preparation is key if you want to avoid the indignity of coughing up grape number seven while everyone around you celebrates their success.
Buy seedless grapes (this should go without saying, but you’d be surprised), and preferably ones that are pre-peeled if you can find them in Spanish supermarkets during late December.
Some people advocate for cutting the grapes in half or even quarters, though purists insist this is cheating and might compromise your luck.
Practice the timing beforehand if you’re particularly competitive, as the chimes come thick and fast and there’s no pause button on Spanish church bells.
Keep your champagne or cava close at hand for emergency grape-dislodging purposes, and don’t be too proud to accept defeat if you’re still chewing on grape nine when everyone else starts kissing.
The most important thing is to enjoy the shared absurdity of the moment, because watching an entire nation simultaneously stuff their faces with fruit is genuinely one of the world’s great cultural spectacles.
Daryl is the co-founder of Malaga Guru. He is a copywriter, editor and translator who moved to Malaga over a decade ago, having first fallen in love with the city on his Erasmus year. After working for many years at local expat newspaper SUR in English, Daryl gained expert knowledge in life from the perspective of foreign residents and decided to co-found this site in 2016.