Nochevieja

When is Nochevieja?

Get ready to celebrate Nochevieja on December 31 as night falls and be prepared to keep going until daylight on January 1.

Where is Nochevieja?

Uncork the champagne and ring in the New Year in cities and towns across Spain. Once the sun goes down, follow the hoards of festive españoles to the city's main squares - especially the plazas that have a clock - for the genuinely unique Nochevieja experience. Madrid's Plaza del Sol is the most famous spot to be, serving as the Spanish equivalent of New York's Times Square.

Nochevieja Traditions

If you're planning to be in Spain for its Nochevieja fiestas, it's always helpful to know what the Spanish do and especially what you're in for. First, to say adios to the ending year Spanish relatives typically get together for a holiday meal, after which they either gather around the television for the big countdown or hit the town to party with friends. At this point you should definitely gear up and do as the Spanish do, drink what the Spanish drink, and eat what the Spanish eat.

Before you hop on the party train heading towards the city's main square, make sure not to forget your Nochevieja essentials. Item one of your shopping list, especially if you're in Madrid, is the costume; almost everyone has brightly colored wigs, satirical masks, costumes, or all of the above. Part two is the champagne. Uncork your bottle of champagne or cava after the midnight chimes of the clock and toast everybody you see. The third and most important item is the twelve grapes. When midnight strikes, you have to rapidly pop those twelve grapes - one for each chime of the clock - in your mouth. If you successfully complete the feat, twelve months of prosperity and good luck await you. Plus, imagine how entertaining it is to look around and see thousands of people laughing and with their mouths full of grapes.

History of Nochevieja

While most of the Nochevieja traditions seems pretty typical, the twelve grapes deal probably has you raising your eyebrows and asking "Why?" Deviating from the norm, Las doce uvas de la suerte (twelve good luck grapes) is an economic-based rather than religious-based Spanish tradition. It began in 1909, when grape growers in Alicante found themselves with an extremely large grape surplus and scrambled to come up with a way to sell them all.