What are the twelve grapes traditionally eaten at midnight in Spain called?

The twelve grapes eaten at midnight in Spain are called Las doce uvas de la suerte, meaning “the twelve grapes of luck.”

People traditionally eat one grape with each of the clock’s twelve midnight chimes on New Year’s Eve. The grapes symbolize the twelve months ahead, and finishing them in time is popularly associated with good fortune and prosperity for the coming year.

The custom is especially linked with Madrid’s Puerta del Sol, whose clock broadcasts the chimes nationally. Television coverage has helped make the square’s countdown a shared ritual across Spain and among Spanish-speaking communities elsewhere.

A common mix-up is confusing the grapes with las doce campanadas, the twelve chimes themselves. The grapes are also sometimes sold in prepared packs, because timing twelve individual grapes during the chimes can be surprisingly difficult.