In which Spanish New Year's Eve tradition do people eat one grape at each midnight chime?

The Spanish New Year's Eve tradition of eating one grape at each midnight chime is called Las doce uvas de la suerte, or “the twelve grapes of luck.”

Participants try to eat twelve grapes in time with the twelve strokes of the clock at midnight. Each grape represents one month of the coming year, and successfully eating all twelve is traditionally associated with good fortune. The custom is especially linked with the clock in Madrid's Puerta del Sol, whose chimes are broadcast across Spain.

The practice became widely established in Spain during the early twentieth century. One frequently cited explanation is that grape growers promoted the custom to sell a surplus harvest, although earlier elite or urban traditions may also have contributed to its development.

The tradition is often confused with general Spanish Christmas customs, but it belongs specifically to New Year's Eve. Variations of the twelve-grape custom have also spread to parts of Latin America, where local timing and interpretations can differ.