What is the Spanish New Year’s Eve custom of eating one grape for each midnight chime called?

The Spanish New Year’s Eve custom of eating one grape for each midnight chime is called Las doce uvas de la suerte.

The phrase means “the twelve grapes of luck.” At midnight, people try to eat 12 grapes, one with each stroke of the clock at Madrid’s Puerta del Sol. Each grape represents one month of the coming year, and successfully finishing them is traditionally associated with good fortune.

The custom is particularly linked with the televised chimes from the Real Casa de Correos clock in Madrid. Families and friends often follow the broadcast together, using small prepared portions of grapes so they can keep pace with the rapid chimes.

The tradition’s exact origin is debated. One widely repeated account connects its spread to a surplus grape harvest in the early 20th century, while other evidence points to an earlier urban custom among Madrid residents. The grapes are not the same thing as the 12 chimes: the chimes provide the timing, while the grapes form the luck ritual.