The tradition of eating 12 grapes at midnight on New Year’s Eve is associated with Spain. Celebrants eat one grape with each of the clock’s 12 midnight chimes, with the grapes representing the coming months and symbolizing good luck and prosperity.
The custom is especially linked with Madrid’s Puerta del Sol, where crowds gather around the clock of the Royal House of the Post Office. The chimes are also broadcast nationally, allowing people across Spain to take part from home. The celebration itself is known as Nochevieja, or “Old Night.”
The tradition is documented from at least the late 19th century and became especially popular in 1909. A widely repeated explanation says Alicante-area grape growers promoted it after an abundant harvest created a surplus. That story explains its rapid popularization, but the practice had earlier precedents.
Portugal and several Latin American countries also have related customs, so Spain is the key answer for the tradition’s best-known national origin—not the only country where it is now observed.