It is December 31 … time flies! Tonight we celebrate the last day of the year, we celebrate New Year’s Eve 2015, and you must follow certain Spanish traditions if you want that 2016 will bring luck. For our iNMSOL students, please find a brief guide to survive tonight:
Have a nice dinner
We gather for dinner and prepare something special. Whether a family dinner at home, or an organized dinner out with friends (called cotillón if there is an afterparty), will bid farewell to the year with abundant food and beverage.
Search for the town square, there must be a clock!
The most prominent landmark is the Puerta del Sol in Madrid: the square is filled with people dressed up, waiting for the chimes clock strikes 12. Other cities in Spain also held it, but not all of them (just big cities).
You must eat 12 grapes!
A few seconds before midnight, the clock from Puerta del Sol brand chimes. First, you will hear the sound of the four quarters, then, the sound of the 12 strokes. The Spanish tradition says that we should eat a grape for each chime, and that fact will bring us 12 months of good luck. Eating the 12 grapes without laughing or choking is an impossible mission … do you dare?
Wear something red
This tradition is very recent. It is said that during the night of 31st you must wear a red clothe. But it must be underwear!
We expect you to follow these advices, and I wish you a great year entry.