If you’ve scrolled through your social media recently, you’ve probably seen it – people sitting under the table with a bowl of grapes in their hands, stuffing them into their mouths. Chaotic and funny, this viral trend has made people a little stitious all around the world. The tradition goes around that if 12 grapes are eaten within 12 seconds of the clock striking midnight on New Year’s Eve, good luck will be by your side. This cheat code has become popular among people sharing their videos, but it isn’t just a viral tren. It has quirky history behind it.

The Real History Behind Eating 12 Grapes At Midnight

A Spanish tradition, the ‘twelve grapes ’ or ‘Las doce uvas de la suerte’ involves eating one grape in sync with the 12 chimes of the Royal Post Office clock on the Real Casa de Correos building. Thousands of people assemble and participate in this tradition of eating grapes, where each grape and clock bell strike represents the coming 12 months. According to Marcelino Lominchar, a historian and a professor of geography, history, and art from the Complutense University of Madrid, the tradition was actually a product of protest. In a LinkedIn Post that links to his blog, he explains that the Spain aristocracy copied the French tradition of celebrating the Christmas holidays by drinking champagne and eating grapes. However, these were only accessible to the wealthy class.

Marcelino writes further, ‘In Spain, the cool thing was to go out on January 5th to make a fuss to ask the Three Wise Men for something and, in the process, get drunk. Thus, in 1896, the mayor of Madrid originally from Pontones (Cantabria), José Abascal y Carredano, proposed to fine anyone who made noise by one duro. It was a lot of money. In protest, the crowd moved the merrymaking to New Year’s Eve to eat what was called the 12 lucky grapes. And what better place than a place that was punctual, the clock at Puerta del Sol? Years later, in 1909, there was a huge surplus of Dominga grapes in the Alicante Vinalopó and as a marketing campaign, they decided to give away those 12 lucky grapes, thus kicking off a tradition that is now just over 100 years old.’

Other Traditions That Are Equally Popular And Bizzare

Not just 12 grapes, other amusing traditions have gained popularity among the masses. Here are few of them:

Walk around the block with an empty suitcase

Wanna be a wanderlust next year? This Latin American tradition asks you to take an empty suitcase and walk around with it. According to CBS, it is supposed to make your life adventurous and bring you opportunities to travel to new places.

Avoid laundry and clean up

No laundry or cleaning on New Year’s Day because this Chinese superstition believes that washing clothes can also cleanse away any good fortunes for the upcoming year. Or worse, it can also “wash away a loved one,” meaning the death of someone you love.

Eat black-eyed peas and lentils

According to South American folklore, if you want your new year to be filled with prosperity and luck, try black-eyed peas and lentils. The Confederate soldiers survived on the black-eyed peas making it a symbol of fortune and prosperity in South America. You can serve it with greens like peas and cabbage to get money.

Wearing red underwear

Italy has a tradition of people wearing red lace underwear to guarantee luck and success next year. It also translates to more love and passion for Italians.

Breaking dishes

Unusual, but people in Denmark believe in saving dishes throughout the year and then breaking them by throwing them at the doors of their friends and family. More broken dishes at your doorstep translates to good fortune in the new year.

These New Year traditions, no matter how bizarre reflect our shared hope for a fresh start. Whether it is stuffing grapes, walking with an empty suitcase, or wearing colorful undies, it shows how we seek value joy, love, adventure, and prosperity in our lives.