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New Year’s Eve Madrid
diciembre 31, 2022
New Year’s Eve Madrid
Tens of thousands of people cram into Madrid’s main plaza, the Puerta del Sol, every December 31 to ring in the new year by eating a grape for every one of the 12 chimes of midnight of the clock on the Real Casa de Correos building. “Doing the grapes” is said to guarantee good luck in each of the twelve months of the coming year. The festivities are broadcast live on Spanish television and most Spaniards around the country join in the tradition at midnight.
Most Madrileños, as the custom goes, stay home with family and quietly bring in the new year with food, wine and Cava (Spanish sparkling wine – don’t call it Champagne, heaven forbid!), watching TV and the ball-dropping over the Puerta del Sol and the entertainment programs leading up to and following midnight. Many play cards until the wee hours of the morning.
Many foreigners hear the word ‘Spain’ and they immediately imagine a warm climate all-year round. This couldn’t be further from the truth, in fact. On New Year’s Even in central Spain it can be downright bitterly cold. People in Sol must wear winter coats, hats, and maybe even gloves. We nearly froze! But when you’ve gulped down your last grape and you given kisses and hugs and happy-new-year wishes to every stranger around you, it’s time to go home as best you can. Usually, going home means going on-foot, no matter how far away you live.