This
Blog was first posted on New Year's Eve, 2008, not long after I joined
Multiply. I have a couple of new friends now who know little of New
Year traditions and customs in Spain, so I thought: Why not, I will
re-post this one for them. The traditions & customs have not
changed, and people are still doing practically exactly the same things
as all the years past, and most likely all the years to come.
Happy 2012 to you all, have lots of fun and be sure to keep safe.
*** The 12 Grapes of New Year (31st Dec 2008) ***
Apart
from a very few countries whose New Year's Day falls on different
dates, to the majority it's right now that we are celebrating the New
Year 2009. Well strictly speaking not until tomorrow, but we all with no
exception start the celebration now on the Eve. The special meal for
tonight has been planned well in advance, booked in restaurants, hotels
or nearly ready for the oven at home. Champagne is being chilled, the
best crockery, cutlery, Champagne and wine glasses are probably on the
bright red table cloth already, with the magnificent floral centrepiece
completing the table setting for the most important feast of the year.
Oh, there are 12 fresh grapes too with a pretty ribbon round the stalk
by each individual setting.
In
Spain, the most significant ritual, apart from the countdown of the
minutes and seconds at midnight, would be the eating of the 12 grapes
that each diner is provided, be the meal served in a restaurant or at
home, laid in front of you at your table place, together with the
little bag of party delights, in which would be all sorts of merry
making little bits and pieces, knick knacks, a whistle to make noise to
save you from having to shout at the top of your lungs to show your
enthusiasm in welcoming in the new year, and, of course, the party
blower. After the meal, and before you can play with all that, you must
first of all eat up your 12 grapes, each in tune to the striking of
the last 12 seconds of the clock. If you complete it, eating the last
grape at the last strike of the clock, you are supposed to have a
fabulously lucky new year ahead.
That
custom is responsible for all those years of bad luck I had, as I had
never once been able to eat 12 grapes in 12 seconds!!! So that had
stopped being fun for me, more like a torture, ever since my first
failure to do so, and totally helpless and useless to try in the
following yeas; it's just physically impossible. The other unwritten
but customary requirements are much easier, and fun to observe, like
wearing red panties - still not sure whether men are supposed to or
not!! I was told they don't!
Dinner
over, grapes swallowed whole seeds and all (how else can they do it?),
comes now the dancing. On this night everybody but everybody is a
great dancer, great in the sense of willingness and eagerness.
Fortified no doubt by the over the limit consumption of alcohol. There
are huge municipal sponsored and organised halls, and huge marquees, in
every town and even the smallest villages, specially erected for this
purpose. Nobody is supposed to leave till 5 or 6 in the New Year
morning. After you are served an extra thick, extra hot, and extra
sticky chocolate in a heavy cup; so thick it should coat the 'churros' -
sort of deep fried crispy pastry in a twisted stick shape, with which
you dip or dunk into the hot chocolate. That was always too sweet for
me, but the ritual must be completed, especially by a foreigner like
me. I ate it and was accepted almost as one who had passed the
initiation with flying colours, to become a local.
In
the last few years, as much as possible, I prefer not to go to these
Do's. There are far too many crazy rules and rituals, far too much loud
music, loud conversation, not to say drunken companions and the thick
& sticky hot chocolate. But I must confess I miss the fun, in all
it's other aspects.
Good health, peace and prosperity to you all, my dear friends. ***
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