New Year tradition explained: Why people eat 12 grapes at midnight

Many people around the world celebrate New Year with champagne, parties, and hugs, but Spain follows a very different midnight tradition. In Spain, people eat 12 grapes in the last 60 seconds before midnight to welcome the New Year. This tradition is called “Las doce uvas de la suerte”, which means “The Twelve Grapes of Luck”.

The custom requires people to eat one grape for each clock chime as the year changes at midnight, according to Mint. Each grape is believed to represent one month of the coming year. People believe the grapes bring luck, happiness, and success for all 12 months ahead. Popular belief says that if someone completes the ritual correctly, it ensures good fortune in the New Year.

Spain New Year grape tradition

In recent years, social media has shown some people eating grapes while sitting under a table. Sitting under a table is not part of the original tradition and is only a modern social media trend. The 12 grapes tradition may look new online, but it actually started in the 1880s, as noted by Mint report. The tradition is believed to have begun among wealthy families in Madrid. These families were inspired by a French custom of drinking champagne and eating grapes on New Year’s Eve.


The ritual became popular across Spain in the early 1900s, as stated by Mint. The surplus harvest for Alicante grape farmers led to them promoting the idea of indulging in 12 grapes at midnight—for selling extra grapes. The ritual became a tradition, with Spaniards popularising it as a new year's must.

Meaning of the 12 Grapes tradition

The grapes came to symbolise a plethora of human needs: love, health, money, and personal success. Eating each was believed to manifest each Goal as a new year resolution. And if eaten together, the once sales pitch became a marker to good luck.

Some people believe the result depends on the intention set while eating each grape. The tradition is so popular that Spanish supermarkets sell special tins of “12 lucky grapes” before New Year’s Eve, as stated by Mint. As the time is set at 12, and eaters are on the clock, the grapes are ripped off their peels and seeds to make it an easier compromise. Till today, it’s one of Spain’s most revered rituals.

FAQs

Q1. Why do people in Spain eat 12 grapes on New Year’s Eve?

People in Spain eat 12 grapes at midnight to bring luck and success for all 12 months of the new year.

Q2. Where did the 12 grapes New Year tradition start?

The tradition started in Spain in the late 1800s and became popular after grape farmers promoted it.