In Spain's New Year's Eve tradition, people eat 12 grapes at midnight for good luck.
The custom is known as las doce uvas de la suerte, meaning “the twelve grapes of luck.” Each grape traditionally corresponds to one stroke of the midnight clock and to one month of the coming year. Finishing all 12 in time is widely associated with prosperity and good fortune.
The ritual became especially prominent in Spain during the early 20th century. A popular explanation links its spread to grape growers who promoted the practice after a large harvest, although the custom may also have had earlier roots among urban celebrations. Spanish television broadcasts the clock striking midnight from Madrid's Puerta del Sol, making the timing widely familiar.
The grapes are eaten at midnight, not simply during the evening meal. Similar 12-grape customs have also spread to parts of Latin America, where local New Year's traditions vary.