Why do Spaniards eat 12 grapes at midnight on New Year's Day?

When people in most countries in the world greet the New Year with a countdown of 10 second, the Spaniards are quietly burying their heads in eating grapes at the moment of the New Year. Spain's enthusiasm is fully reflected in the local people's love for life. For Spaniards, the last month of the year is undoubtedly the most important time of the year. On June 65438+1 October1New Year's Day, the streets of Spain were crowded with champagne and grapes, waiting for the New Year bell of the carnival to ring.

Because there is a very old local New Year tradition, that is, when midnight strikes, you must eat 12 grapes immediately, which means that the next 12 months will be sweet and beautiful. Spaniards will eat 12 grapes on New Year's Eve and promise to eat them before the New Year bell rings.

If you can eat 12 according to the rhythm of the bell, it means that every month in the new year is happy. Every grape in the New Year also has a different meaning, representing peace, harmony, shelter, eliminating diseases and so on. This 12 grape represents every month of next year. The sweet and sour taste of grapes can be regarded as divination. Sweet means smooth and beautiful, but sour means the opposite. 12 grape countdown is the highlight of the Spanish New Year. This is the custom of seeking happiness in Spanish New Year.

According to the ancient Spanish custom, the bell will ring loudly at 12 seconds before the end of each year. All Spaniards must swallow a grape with a bell tower. When the bell rings, that is, when the bell rings for the last time in the New Year, 12 grapes in your mouth will be swallowed smoothly at the same time, which means that next year will be an auspicious year.

Another valid argument is that in the 1980s of 19, some Spanish upper classes began to learn from the French to drink sparkling wine and eat grapes in the New Year. Some Spaniards who don't like this worship of foreign things and obsequiousness gather in the Sun Gate Square in Madrid on New Year's Eve. When the New Year bell rang, they began to eat grapes with themselves, satirizing those upper-class people with this special performance art, which gradually became a unique way to celebrate the New Year.