Twelve Grapes

What it is

The Twelve Grapes is a way of seeing in the new year that belongs to Spain. On the night of 31 December, when the clock begins to strike twelve, those taking part eat a grape at each stroke. The twelve fruits match the twelve chimes, and each one is understood to stand for a single month of the year that is starting. People do this at home with their families, or outdoors in a town square, and the grapes are eaten quickly, one after another, as midnight arrives.

Origins and history

The custom can be traced back to at least 1895. It became much better known in 1909. That December, vine growers around Alicante wanted to sell more fruit. Their harvest had been unusually good, leaving them with more grapes than the market could take, so they encouraged the midnight habit. The idea caught on and travelled far past the region. In 1962 Televisión Española started showing the chimes from Madrid, and viewers across the country could follow the same count.

Where it spread

Places with close cultural links to Spain have taken up the custom. It is kept in the Philippines and in many Latin American and Caribbean countries, and Hispanic communities in the United States also mark it. Some people in Jamaica do the same. Among the countries where it is observed are Andorra, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Puerto Rico, Serbia, Uruguay and Venezuela. For those who keep it, the grapes sit inside the wider Christmas season rather than standing apart from it.

What it means

People who follow the custom often say the grapes bring luck for the months ahead, and that a good start at midnight sets the tone for the year. In some places the same act was once thought to turn away witches and other harmful things. That protective reading has mostly faded, and most households now treat the twelve grapes as a cheerful way to greet the new year together, whether they are at a family table or standing in a crowded square.

How Twelve Grapes is kept

On 31 December, households eat the Nochevieja meal, and as midnight approaches they turn on the television, the radio or a clock. When the first of twelve strokes sounds, each person eats one grape, then the next at the second stroke, and so on until the twelfth. The fruit is usually prepared in advance, sometimes peeled or seeded, so nobody falls behind. In towns and cities people also gather in the main square to watch the clock together, and in Madrid crowds fill Puerta del Sol, where the chimes are broadcast across the country.

When and where

It falls on the last night of the year, 31 December, and the grapes are eaten at midnight as the new year begins. The date is fixed by the civil calendar, so it is the same every year, and it sits inside the Christmas season in Spain and in the places that have taken the custom up.

The custom belongs to Spain, where it is kept from the capital outward. Madrid's Puerta del Sol is its best known setting, since the national chimes are broadcast from there. It also has a following in the Philippines, in Latin American and Caribbean countries, in Serbia, and among Hispanic communities in the United States, with some people in Jamaica taking part as well.

What Twelve Grapes means

Each grape stands for one month of the year to come, so the twelve together hold the whole year. Eating them in time with the chimes joins a person to everyone else listening to the same clock. Many hope the practice will bring them luck in the months ahead. Older beliefs held that it kept witches and evil away, a meaning that has largely given way to celebration.

Days Twelve Grapes is marked

Questions people ask about Twelve Grapes

See also

HanukkahAn eight-day Jewish festival marking the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and the miracle of a single day'Christmas EveThe evening before Christmas, marked by church services, family meals, and gift preparations across Christian cultures.Simbang GabiA nine-day series of early morning Masses held in the Philippines to prepare for Christmas.JulebukkingA Scandinavian Christmas custom where masked visitors go door to door for songs and treats.

Good reading and sources

• Por qué se comen 12 uvas a la medianoche y el origen de otras tradiciones de Año Nuevo en América LatinaBBC, Article
• Por qué se comen 12 uvas a la medianoche y el origen de otras tradiciones de Año Nuevo en América LatinaBBC, Article

• Twelve Grapes on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.