<P> The Twelve Grapes (Sp . Las doce uvas de la suerte, "The twelve grapes of luck") is a Spanish tradition that dates back from at least 1895 but became established in 1909 . In December of that year, some alicantese vine growers popularized this custom to better sell huge amounts of grapes from an excellent harvest . </P> <P> The tradition consists of eating a grape with each bell strike at midnight of December 31 . According to the tradition, that leads to a year of prosperity . In some areas, it is believed that the tradition wards away witches and general evil, although this "magic" is treated like an old heritage, and in modern days it's viewed as a cultural tradition to welcome the new year . </P> <P> There are two main places where people gather to eat the grapes: with family after the dinner or in the main squares around the country, the Puerta del Sol in Madrid being the most famous place to do it . </P>

When do you eat grapes on new years