People traditionally eat twelve grapes at midnight on New Year's Eve in Madrid's Puerta del Sol.
The Spanish custom is known as las doce uvas de la suerte, or “the twelve grapes of luck.” Participants try to eat one grape with each stroke of the midnight clock. Each grape represents one month of the coming year, and successfully finishing all twelve is associated with good fortune.
The tradition became strongly linked with Madrid's clock in Puerta del Sol, whose chimes are broadcast throughout Spain. It spread nationally through newspapers, radio, and television, eventually becoming one of Spain's best-known New Year's customs.
The grapes are often sold in prepared tins or bunches for easier timing. They should not be confused with a cake or hidden-coin custom: the defining feature here is eating twelve grapes in rhythm with the clock.