Our society is plenty of different traditions and customs. With the passage of time many of these traditions have become a superstition. In Spain, for instance, there are many different and curious traditions that have crossed borders and even after years of celebration are still seen surreal from aboard…
One of the most striking happens in New Year’s Eve: Eat 12 grapes at midnight, one with each chime of the clock. After a hearty dinner, it becomes a challenge worthy of the bravest. In fact, it’s not only a matter of putting the grape in your mouth, but you must swallow one per second, almost at the speed of light. However, anyone who is in Barcelona on December 31st has to accept the challenge in order to have a new year full of health and fortune.
Just keep in mind that fortune starts when chosen grapes… if they are too big for our mouths, we are lost!
And, why do we have this –curious- tradition?
The tradition dates back to 1909 in Alicante. Due to a surplus production of grapes that year, farmers decided to give them to people assuring that eating them for New Year’s Eve would bring good luck for the next year.
There wasn’t a rapid expansion over Spain, though. It was not until Tv and radio were born and started to broadcast the clock chimes in the legendary “Puerta del Sol” when it was massively spread.
Gradually tradition has become superstition so a bad year could be as a result of not swelling the last grape…
