The 12 grapes of luck !

New Years evening was once very different to me. It was back on New Year’s Eve, mid 1980’s, in Barcelona. Minutes before midnight,  my friend Piedro handed me some grapes.

„Gracias,“ I said, one of the few words Spanish I knew.

Having something refreshing to eat after all that rich food during the evening,  I started to chew the grapes. Piedro and friends laughed at me and told everyone else „esta comiendo las uvas“ (he is eating the grapes).

  12 grapes for every person. Often fancy decorated.

I was oblivious to this Spanish tradition, which has been adopted in Latin America as well as some communities in the United States and the Philippines.

Here’s what to do when you get handed grapes on New Year’s Eve. Firstly, don’t eat them before the clock strikes . Then, 12 seconds before midnight, eat the first of „las doce uvas de suerte“ (the 12 grapes of luck). Make a wish.

  One grape and one wish with every BAAANNGGG before 12 midnight. One grape and one wish for every month of the coming year.

BAAAAANGGGG… eat a grape, I wish to stay healthy.

Then do the same for each of the 12 grapes and 12 strikes of the clock.

BAAAAANGGGG… eat a grape, I wish for good friendship.

BAAAAANGGGG… eat a grape, I wish to ………… and so on !

     Lovely preparation for the guests.

Why „Grapes of Luck“ for New Year’s Eve ?

Now, living in Uruguay and being confronted with this tradition again, I’ve asked myself… This tradition of eating grapes in the last seconds of the year… where does it come from?

At the ends of the XIX century (1895) the upper-middle class (Bourgeois) used to drink champagne and eat grapes in New Year’s Eve dinner. From this point, a group of people from Madrid (Spain) decided ironically start going to the ‚Puerta del Sol‘ to eat the grapes with the peals of the bells, arriving to the tradition we all celebrate nowadays.

   Puerta del Sol at the town hall in Madrid.

The same way people also say that in the New Year’s Eve of 1895 the President of the Spanish Ministers said good bye to the year with grapes and champagne.

1909 Great year for the grape.

According to this theory, in 1909 there was a great harvest of grapes in Spain. That’s why, the producers with excess of fruit, decided to find a way out to the product selling it as ‚Grapes of Luck‘. Along the years the tradition has been changing to arrive to the one we already have, where people say that the grapes symbolize the abundance and every time we eat one we have to make a wish.

  After the grapes we’ll have the Champagne.

Tradition says that 12 grapes are set in front of each guest, symbolizing the 12 months of the year, and they have to eat them with each peal of the clock (last 12 seconds of the year).

The most popular place to finish the year in Spain is ‚La Puerta del Sol‘ (Madrid), although people can celebrate it in every town hall in Spain.

  Just for two ! In Panama 2008.

But I have to say that, like in every tradition, people adapt them the way they want. For example, some people change the grapes for tangerine sections, peanuts, olives or even candies!!!, so it’s up to you which one you choose !

I like this tradition,  its something different.

In this case, I keep on with the tradition, eating big and beautiful grapes.
My 5th grape wish: Happy Healthy 2017 for all of you and your families.