Grapes for good luck: A New Year's Eve Spanish tradition bringing families together

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — As the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, many people around the world partake in a tradition believed to bring good fortune throughout the coming year. For some families, the ritual involves a simple but significant act: eating 12 grapes in the span of one minute.

The custom, which dates back to 19th-century Spain, involves placing 12 grapes—one for each month of the year—into a cup. At the stroke of midnight, participants are meant to eat each grape, one by one, within 60 seconds. The goal is to secure good fortune for the upcoming year.

Joelle Quijada and her family pour wine or sparkling cider in each cup filled with grapes before consuming it. Their ritual often results in a race to finish the grapes.

“Oh, it can get messy. Or you, of course, have a mouth full of grapes,” she laughed.

Maria Staubs

While it may seem like a simple custom, the practice has gained popularity in recent years, especially on social media, where younger generations are discovering its significance.

Quijada's daughter, Jazlyn, found online that the color of the grape can affect the year's trajectory.

"So the purple grapes are more like love, and the green grapes were more luck and fortune," said Jazlyn, who has embraced the tradition alongside her family since she was young.

Some social media trends have even taken the ritual a step further, with people eating the grapes under the table in hopes of finding romance in the new year. But for the Quijada family, the tradition goes beyond romance and focuses on strengthening familial bonds.

"It also just keeps us, you know, staying with the same traditions and being able to do it together as a family. And I'd say keep us united as a family—as one," Joelle said. "Even if we're not doing it for love and a relationship, we're at least doing it for love as a family."