People in Spain traditionally eat grapes one at a time during the 12 midnight chimes.
The custom is known as the twelve grapes, or las doce uvas de la suerte. Participants try to eat one grape with each stroke of the clock at midnight on 31 December. The twelve grapes represent the twelve months of the coming year, and finishing them is associated with good luck.
Madrid’s Puerta del Sol clock is the country’s most famous focus for the ritual. Television broadcasts show the clock and its chimes to viewers across Spain, allowing people at home to follow the pace together. The practice has also spread to Spanish-speaking communities in other countries.
A common mistake is to confuse the twelve grapes with a general European New Year food tradition. Their specific connection to twelve midnight chimes is strongly associated with Spain. Eating all twelve quickly can be surprisingly difficult, which adds a playful challenge to the ceremony.