Bienvenidos a los clases de Español 2025
.jpg)
Four common New Year's traditions in Spain
1. Eating
12 Grapes
Perhaps the
most common New Year’s tradition in Spain is eating 12 grapes on the 12
chimes before midnight.
If you
manage to eat them all in time, Spaniards believe you’ll have a lucky and
healthy new year.
It’s harder
than it looks though! Especially if you’re trying not to laugh at
everyone else’s hamster cheeks.
In the days
leading up to New Year’s Eve, you’ll see huge amounts of grapes in every supermarket.
Some sell
special packets of 12 grapes, and you’ll also find peeled grapes for kids (or
first-time adults) which are easier to swallow.
No one is
100% sure where this tradition comes from, but there are possibilities. The
first is that wine growers in the Alicante region of Spain had a particularly
bountiful harvest in the late 1800s. To encourage people to buy more grapes,
they made an advertising campaign to eat grapes for luck on New Year’s Eve.
From then on, the tradition stuck and spread to almost every region of the
country!
2. Drink
Cava
Cava is a
sparkling wine originally from Catalonia. It’s light and refreshing and
something that almost all alcohol drinkers enjoy on New Year’s Eve.
There are
more and more alcohol-free versions of the drink, too!
If you go to
someone’s house on New Year’s Eve, it’s customary to bring some cava to enjoy
together.
Likewise, if
you go to one of the street celebrations in a square, you’ll hear bottles
popping all over the place as the bells chime at midnight.
3. Wear
Red Underwear
If you’re
hoping for Cupid’s arrow to hit you in the upcoming year, then it’s tradition
to wear red underwear on New Year’s in Spain.
It’s
thought that the romantic colour will help you to find love!
4. Start
The Year on the Right Foot
Another
‘lucky’ New Year’s tradition in Spain is starting the year on the right foot.
Quite literally. When eating your grapes, you should have your right foot
forward, ensuring you’re looking toward the next year with hope and positivity.
