As I have already explained to you in other posts, we have some curious Christmas traditions that you can not find in other countries. I think the New Year's Eve one is the most different, funny and important one.
Whilst the majority of countries do a count down from 10 at 12 am in New Year's Eve to celebrate the New Year, we eat 12 grapes.
There are several hipothesis of where this tradition is coming from. Some say that the upper classes used to eat grapes and drink Champaign at the New Year's Eve dinner and that the common people were taking the piss of them and started to imitate them.
Other say, and this is my favourite theory and the one I choose to believe more, is that in the late 1800's or beginning of 1900's there was an excess of grape harvest during the festive period. In order to sell all the harvest and do not let it rot, the farmers decided to say it was good luck to eat 12 grapes with each dong of the clock on New Year's Eve. This quickly catch up, and well over 100 years later you have 46 million people eaten grapes at the same time.
You also need to bear in mind that Spain is a very family orientated country, and we celebrate all "big important" dates with the family. This includes New Year's Eve. Familes gather together (extended family I mean, grandpas cousins, uncles, siblings ...) either at someone's place or in a restaurant (don't worry, all restaurants in Spain will give you grapes with your dinner that day).
This means that for us the party does not start until the grapes are finish, and this can easily be 1 or 2 am, the time when the Brits will come back home, for example.
After dinner, and when 12 am is getting close, we all gather in front of the TV, but before you have to wee for the last time this year, or call your friend for the last time this year, or eat your last dessert of the year etc etc.
A vast majority of Spanish chooses the first channel of the national TV to see the "Grapes" (La 1), where the female presenter Anne Igartiburu is a tradition by herself, as she has been presenting the "Grapes" for at least 15 years.
In family we have the tradition of trying to guess which TV ad will be the last of the year as it is the most expensive one of the year, and not to name any names, but Coca Cola is a very economicaly healthy company.
Normally any clock with give the time with a "dong", but it would be impossible to eat 12 grapes with only 12 dongs at normal speed, so for that day the Reloj de la Puerta del Sol de Madrid (the clock at the main square in Madrid, which is the one shown on TV) slows down the pace of the dongs, so it is more like "dooooooooooooong". So it takes about 30 seconds for the 12 dongs.
Picture from: https://www.elimparcial.es/noticia/185203/sociedad/espana-entra-en-2018-con-la-esperanza-de-que-sea-mejor-que-2017.html
Some people buy seedless grapes to make the process easier, and others peel them, but I like them as they are.
So, imagine this, the whole family sitting in front of the TV, with your little plate with 12 grapes, nerves raising, giggles all around. Then the clock start making noises and little ding dongs that tells you that the whole thing is about to start.
And then the 12 dongs start: dooooooooong (1 grape), doooooooooooong (another grape), doooooooooong (you get it now).
12 dongs later you have your mouth full of grapes that you have not had time to swallow, so you start kissing people and saying "Happy New Year" while you spit grapes and/or try not to choke. And then we open the Champaign bottles, or Sidra (Spanish cider)
Here you have a link to a youtube video that shows you the exact moment, and that could be any Spanish household:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiCjv50C6LA
I think you should try it, you need to experience it at least once, it is a lot of fun!
