Youngsters Embracing Spain’s 'Lucky Grapes' Tradition This New Year Eve
The custom, known as "Las doce uvas de la suerte – The Twelve Grapes of Luck," requires participants to eat one grape with each clock’s chime as midnight strikes: Reports
VISAKHAPATNAM: As revellers worldwide prepare to ring in 2026 with champagne toasts and celebrations, a centuries-old Spanish tradition is gaining unexpected traction among youngsters this New Year's Eve; eating 12 grapes in the final 60 seconds of the year.
The custom, known as "Las doce uvas de la suerte – The Twelve Grapes of Luck," requires participants to eat one grape with each clock’s chime as midnight strikes.
Each grape represents a month of the coming year. It is believed to bring luck, happiness and success. According to the popular Spanish belief, completing the ritual correctly ensures good fortune through all the months of the year.
The tradition appears to have caught the attention of social media platforms, driving an unexpected surge in grape sales across local markets.
Samaguyanyukta Mohanty, spotted purchasing grapes at a local market, said she's hosting a New Year's party. She has bought enough grapes for a group of eight people. "I got to know about this tradition this year through social media. I want to give it a try," she explained.
Chinna Rao, who runs a fruit shop in Siripuram, expressed surprise at the sudden demand. "I was not aware of anything like this. But since morning, youngsters have been coming to buy grapes. I've already sold around 4–5 kg today," he said.
The tradition, while trending globally online in 2025, has deep historical roots dating back to the 1880s. It reportedly originated among Madrid's bourgeoisie, inspired by a French custom of drinking champagne and eating grapes on New Year's Eve.
The practice gained widespread popularity in Spain during the early 1900s, when grape farmers in Alicante, facing a surplus harvest, promoted the ritual as a clever marketing strategy.
Social media trends in recent years have added new twists to the original custom. Some people follow the ritual while sitting under a table, though this is not part of the authentic Spanish tradition.
In local markets, green grapes are currently priced at ₹280 per kg and black grapes at ₹600 per kg.
Online platforms are offering 200-gram packages of red globe grapes and green grapes for ₹80 each, while blue grapes cost ₹90.
The demand has been such that during the last two days, grapes have been out of stock on online platforms.