Campanadas is the name commonly used for Madrid’s New Year’s Eve midnight chimes and celebration at Puerta del Sol. Revelers traditionally eat twelve grapes, one with each chime of the clock.
The clock on the Real Casa de Correos building is the focal point of the event. Television broadcasts show the clock and its chimes to audiences across Spain, allowing people at home to follow the same timed grape-eating custom. The grapes are meant to represent good fortune for the twelve months ahead.
Campanadas is also a general Spanish term for the New Year’s Eve chimes, so the word can describe celebrations outside Madrid. Puerta del Sol is the best-known public setting, and the square’s clock is particularly associated with the national broadcast. The ritual’s challenge is timing: participants must eat each grape before the next chime.