Happy New Year to everyone! This is the second New Year that I have spent in Spain and, after ”living” the holiday twice here, I thought I’d write a short post to tell those of you who are less familiar with Spain’s traditions a little about the holiday. Basically, if you’re a Spaniard about to “ring in the New Year in style,” you need two essential items in very large quantities: grapes and fireworks. Let me explain:
Essential item #1 — Grapes: Grapes are used during the final New Year’s Eve countdown right before midnight. As Spaniards are counting down the final twelve seconds of the year, they eat grapes — one grape for each second marked by the clock. As a result, it’s very typical to buy large amounts of grapes right before New Year’s Eve and then sit in front of the TV with your family on December 31st to eat the grapes during the “official countdown,” which is televised live from Madrid.
Essential item #2 — Fireworks: After counting down the final twelve seconds of the old year, Spaniards grab their fireworks, firecrackers, and other miscellaneous, loud pyrotechnic devices and head for the streets. In fact, there are usually so many Spaniards on the streets shooting off fireworks just after midnight that the entire city fills with smoke and sounds like a war zone. To be quite honest, the first time I saw this happening last year I didn’t really know what to think — it appeared to me to be a loud, dangerous pandemonium with fireworks flying everywhere. I still wonder how more people don’t have accidents with all those firecrackers going off everywhere. In any event, along with the grapes, fireworks are a “must” on any Spanish New Year shopping list.
There you have it. Two “essential items” for the New Year in Spain. What are your “New Year Essentials?” Continue reading this post…
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