Anyone who has ever celebrated the arrival of a New Year in Spain, will know all about the 12 grapes!
It’s Spanish tradition to gobble these 12 little fruits – one on each of the twelve midnight gongs, to mark the start of the new year. That’s one grape a second…
It sounds easy, but believe me it’s not! 
Last night I struggled to breathe as I popped the last grape into my already full mouth. As a mixture of grapes and pips washed around inside, I was horrified when each member of my boyfriend’s family began kissing and hugging each other, cheeks still bulging.
Then for the champagne toast. They have a neat little song which goes like this: “Arriba, Abajo, Al Centro y Para Dentro.”
This literally translates as: “Above, Below, In the Middle, And Inside”…Although it doesn’t sound so good in English as there’s no rhyme!
So now you know how I spent New Year’s Eve to see in 2010 – how did you spend yours?! Oh and Happy New Year
Tags: 12 grapes
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hi Keidi! i was not aware of this 12 grape thing..(i just moved in here in spain over a year now).that´s why my mom and brother in law was gobbling those grapes during the countdown last night..now i know! haha
cheers! and happy new year! -
Hi Keidi,
We spent ours in a local restaurant in Jimena de la Frontera. However I think the crisis (and the weather) was really reflected in the very poor turn out. Only 4 tables!! I felt very sorry for the owners (one of whom dissapeared out the door with a bottle of cava at 10 to midnight!) as they were quieter than a regular weekend night. The price was a bit steep but 2 years ago it was full to the brim. A real shame.As for the grapes, ours were wrapped in blue sellophane, the colour of which had since rubbed off onto the grapes putting us off! I think I managed 3 grapes before I decided I couldn’t crunch the pips. My friend, the most supersticious of our group, was the only one who managed them all. Well done her, hope she has good luck this year! But then again, so do I!
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