With each of the 12 chimes of the clock tower at midnight on New Year's Eve, Spaniards around the country - whether they're in Puerta del Sol or watching from their television at home - eat one grape. I found out the hard way that it's actually really difficult to eat the grapes fast enough to keep up with the chimes! Most people swallow them whole, and some even peal them first to make them easier to swallow.
After the chimes are over, the plaza is filled with cheering, fireworks, music, the popping of bottles of champagne and dancing. Despite the large (drunken) crowds, I actually felt safer than I did in New York City. The warmer climate also helped make this experience more enjoyable!
New Year's Eve is celebrated in Puerta del Sol because it's considered the center of the country. As I've said in another article, Madrid is landlocked in the center of Spain, and all the main roads radiate out from the city. To be exact, they radiate out from Puerta del Sol! They are measured from the Km 0 or kilómetro cero (0 Kilometers) mark, which is right in front of the clock tower. So, it makes sense that the main celebrations happen in the biggest city, and literally the most central city, of the country.
I didn't know the origins of las doce uvas de suerte, so I asked my friend Adriana, who I speak with each week to practice my Spanish. She told me that the tradition is quite old, but started because there was a surplus harvest of grapes one year!
