At Madrid’s Puerta del Sol on New Year’s Eve, which clock’s chimes lead Spain’s famous 12-grape tradition?

At Madrid’s Puerta del Sol on New Year’s Eve, the Real Casa de Correos clock’s chimes lead Spain’s famous 12-grape tradition.

The clock is mounted on the Real Casa de Correos, the historic building at the center of Puerta del Sol. Its midnight chimes are broadcast nationally, and many people coordinate eating one grape with each of the twelve main strokes. The gathering has become one of Spain’s most recognizable New Year rituals.

The building was constructed in the eighteenth century and now serves as the headquarters of the Community of Madrid. The clock itself became a major public timekeeper and a focal point for national celebrations.

A common mix-up is to name the square rather than the clock or building. Puerta del Sol is the location; the chimes traditionally associated with the broadcast come from the clock on the Real Casa de Correos. The sequence also includes warning sounds before the twelve principal chimes.