What is the name of the traditional New Year's Eve celebration in Spain involving twelve grapes?
Answer
Las doce uvas de la suerte
The Spanish New Year's Eve tradition involving twelve grapes is called Las doce uvas de la suerte, meaning “the twelve grapes of luck.”
Participants eat one grape with each stroke of the midnight clock. The twelve grapes represent the twelve months of the coming year, and successfully eating them in time is traditionally associated with good fortune.
The custom is especially linked with the clock at Madrid's Puerta del Sol, whose midnight chimes are broadcast across Spain. Families and friends often prepare twelve grapes in advance because the chimes arrive quickly and the ritual is meant to be completed before the final stroke.
The tradition is sometimes shortened in English to “the twelve grapes.” It is distinct from Three Kings' Day, celebrated in Spain on January 6, and from La Tomatina, the tomato festival held in Buñol in August.