As the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, millions worldwide embrace rituals to usher in prosperity and fresh beginnings. One emerging custom capturing attention on social media involves consuming 12 green grapes beneath a table, with participants hoping to attract romance, good fortune, and abundance in the coming year.
Videos circulating online show individuals, particularly women, sharing success stories: some claim performing the ritual last year led them to meet their ideal partner. They now encourage others to try it as 2025 ends.
This practice builds on a longstanding Spanish tradition known as “Las Doce Uvas de la Suerte,” or the Twelve Grapes of Luck. Originating in late 19th-century Spain, it began as a clever response to a surplus grape harvest in regions like Alicante and La Rioja. Growers promoted eating 12 grapes—one for each month—ahead, drawing inspiration from upper-class habits influenced by French customs.
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In its classic form, observed prominently at Madrid’s Puerta del Sol, people eat one grape with each of the 12 midnight chimes broadcast on television. Completing all 12 is said to ensure health, wealth, romance, and overall good luck. Failing to finish, according to folklore, may signal challenges in the corresponding months.
The modern variation—crouching under a table—adds an element of privacy and heightened intention-setting. Practitioners often whisper wishes with each grape, focusing on personal goals for love or prosperity.
The ritual has even appeared in popular culture, such as in the television series “Modern Family,” where a character credits the grapes with transforming her life from hardship to happiness.
While no evidence supports supernatural outcomes, the act fosters optimism and mindfulness, encouraging people to approach the new year with positive expectations.