The 12 Grapes Tradition Is The New Year's Custom Meant To Bring Love And Fortune

Rolling into the new year doesn't have to mean abandoning old traditions. Some people will kiss their partner at midnight, others watch the New York City ball drop in Times Square, and there are always folks lighting up fireworks to celebrate. Many people have unique food-related traditions for their holidays, such as eating black-eyed peas or corned beef and cabbage. New Year's Eve definitely brings in some superstitious craft as people seek to start their next annum on a positive note. In Spain and parts of Latin America, people celebrate by eating 12 grapes as the clock strikes midnight — one for every month of the year.

"Las doce uvas de la suerte," or "the twelve grapes of luck" tradition is pretty self-explanatory: it's believed that eating 12 grapes on New Year's Eve brings good fortune. The tradition started in the 1880s among the proletariat Spanish as a way to mock or imitate the bourgeois holiday custom of drinking sparkling wine or champagne. By the 1900s, newspapers and farmers started selling the idea of "lucky grapes" to boost business. The tradition stuck, as grapes were plentiful in the Spanish harvest and something working-class citizens could enjoy.

For those who believe in luck, there are a couple of ways to reap the most rewards from this New Year's tradition. Some people might partake in the grapes while wearing red undergarments, another superstition supposed to bring good luck in romantic pursuits. But if red isn't your color, then eating the right kind of grape can help, too. Aledo grapes are grown with a protective cover to shield them from pests, developing thin skins and a light green color. The native Spanish grapes taste sweet and have a protected designation of origin, meaning they're still harvested by farmers with care, just as they were over a century ago.

Scarfing down a bunch of grapes can be a choking hazard, so las doce uvas de la suerte are best left to adults and older children. (Suffocating on grapes would not bode well as an omen to start the year). People who are worried about mishaps can dry their grapes into raisins, eat the fruit off a handy skewer, or enjoy a double dose of grapey deliciousness by uncorking a Spanish white wine blend to sip with each piece of fruit. ¡Feliz Año Nuevo!