It’s crazy to think we have had two not-so-great years worldwide. Two years of ups and downs, of confusion, of concerns, of craziness. Those years are behind us now and we must try and look forward to the future with hope and optimism.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. ~ Psalm 23:4
We may not be in Spain but we can celebrate like we are with a little fun!
In Spanish homes on New’s Years Eve families are gathering. They have the food, the champagne, and the fun. But they also have one more item, grapes!
At the stroke of midnight as the bells toll in the clock tower of the Puerta del Sol in Madrid., they don’t have time to pop the champagne, set off fireworks or kiss their spouse. Instead, they’re stuffing 12 green grapes in their mouths.
Each of these twelve grapes represents one month of the year. The tradition says that you should finish eating all 12 grapes before the bells finish chiming. If you manage to eat all 12 grapes in time, legend has it that the grapes will bring you luck for the New Year.
” A common story traces the tradition of the twelve lucky grapes, or uvas de la suerte, to grape farmers in Alicante, Spain, who cannily suggested the idea when they had a surplus harvest to unload in the early 1900s. But according to food writer Jeff Koehler, newspaper articles about the tradition from the 1880s suggest it developed from Madrid’s bourgeoisie copying the French custom of drinking champagne and eating grapes on New Year’s Eve.”
https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/twelve-grapes-new-years-eve
So head to the grocery store and stock up on your grapes, I would choose the smaller ones to make it easier, gather your friends and family and introduce a new tradition to your household!
Happy New Year Friends!
