Twelve grapes

The Governing Watch at Puerta del Sol, Madrid.

The twelve lucky grapes is a Spanish tradition that consists of eating twelve grapes at midnight on December 31 to welcome the New Year.

The twelve grapes date from at least 1895 but were established in 1909. According to one theory, in December of that year, some viticulturists from Alicante popularized this custom in order to better sell a large quantity of grapes from an excellent harvest. According to tradition, eating the twelve grapes leads to a year of good luck and prosperity. In some areas, it is believed to ward off witches and general evil, although this "magic" it is treated as an ancient legacy, and today it is seen as a cultural tradition to welcome the new year.

There are two main places where people gather to eat the grapes: at home with the family after New Year's Eve dinner or in the main squares of the country, Madrid's Puerta del Sol being the most famous place to do so and where this tradition began.

History

Caricature of January 1, 1911 with several politicians eating grapes in the Puerta del Sol

On January 2, 1894, El Siglo Futuro includes an article from El Imparcial titled "Las uvas benefactoras", in the that there is talk of the custom "imported from France, but it has acquired a natural status among us". On the same day, in El Correo Militar one could read: " The everlasting custom of eating grapes upon hearing the first chime of twelve had countless families gathered in a fraternal colloquium, and all in chorus shouted: One more year!".

On New Year's Eve 1895 there is a written reference to the twelve grapes, which symbolized the 12 months of the year, on this date it was the President of the Council of Ministers who said goodbye to the year 1895 with grapes and champagne.

The tradition of eating grapes has a precedent: a municipal proclamation by the mayor of Madrid, José Abascal y Carredano, from December 1882, by which a quota of 1 duro (five pesetas) was imposed on all those who wanted to go out to receive the Magi. This tradition served to ridicule some foreigners who arrived on those days and who were led to believe that they had to go looking for the Three Kings at dawn on January 5; It was also used for drinking and making as much noise as desired. With this side, José Abascal deprived the people of Madrid of the possibility of enjoying a holiday where almost everything was allowed. This, together with the custom of well-to-do families of having grapes and champagne at New Year's Eve dinner, caused a group of Madrid residents to decide to ironize the bourgeois custom, going to Puerta del Sol to drink the grapes to the sound of the bells. These are the antecedents that gave rise to this custom.

The Madrid press was already commenting in January 1897.

Twelve grapes on a board

Tradition marks taking the twelve grapes at the foot of the clock in Puerta del Sol, but this tradition caused so much interest that in 1903 the grapes were also eaten in Tenerife and little by little it spread to the rest of Spain. The 1907 press complains that this tradition, supposedly imported by aristocrats from France or Germany, became so ingrained in society that the lower class adopted it when in its early years it was mocked. The tradition was already known throughout Spain in 1903, although it would not be until years later that it spread to the entire national territory. The tradition, although documented since December 1897, some take it back to 1880, but establishing it in December 1896.

Another theory is that in 1909, the farmers of Alicante, finding themselves in that year with a surplus of grapes and in order to put the production on the market, managed to popularize the custom and give it the definitive impulse that, since then, would end up make it a consolidated tradition.

Grapes

Typical grapes at the end of the year.

In Spain, fresh and normally green grapes are used. In other countries, such as Portugal or in some of Latin America, twelve raisins are eaten. However, the reason for the twelve is not clear. It is not known if it is for the "twelve months", one grape for each month; or if it is for the "twelve bells", one grape for each ringing of the bell. Actually, the two motivations could be combined.

According to tradition, it is believed that whoever eats the twelve grapes to the beat of the chimes will have a prosperous year. Certain commercial houses saw a good business opportunity in this tradition and, in the early 2000s, began to sell individual jars with twelve grapes, peeled and seedless.

The chimes on television

The broadcast of the twelve chimes began on Televisión Española in 1962, previously it was followed only by radio. For many years, especially when there were only two public television channels, they were televised from Puerta del Sol in Madrid, except those of 1973, broadcast from Barcelona.

In the transition from 1983 to 1984, it was the first time that, one hour after the broadcast from Puerta del Sol, Televisión Española broadcast live for all of Spain the transition to the new year in the Canary Islands, which occurs one hour later than in the Peninsula and the Balearic Islands. On that occasion it was broadcast from Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and since then it would rotate every year between the different islands of the Canary archipelago.

Internationalization

Four bowls with 12 grapes in Peru.

The tradition has spread to other countries, such as Mexico or Peru, where it is combined with other good luck cabals such as the use of yellow underwear.