Spain's traditional New Year's Eve grape ritual uses 12 midnight clock chimes.
The custom pairs one grape with each of the 12 chimes heard at midnight. The grapes represent the 12 months of the coming year, and successfully eating them is traditionally thought to bring luck. Spanish television broadcasts the clock at Madrid's Puerta del Sol so people throughout the country can follow the sequence.
The ritual has a timing complication: the famous clock first gives warning sounds called cuarto, or quarter chimes, before the actual 12 strokes begin. Participants must wait for the proper chimes rather than starting with the preliminary signals.
The tradition is often described as dating from a grape surplus promoted by growers in 1909, though documentary evidence indicates related grape-eating customs may predate that campaign. The number is not based on the number of seconds in a countdown; it is tied symbolically to the months of the year.