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Youve doneChampagne toastsand countdown kisses, but have you tried eating grapes on New Years Eve for good luck?
Photo: Evening Standard/Getty Images
Many TikTok creators even claim that the practice has blessed them with everything from greater fortune to true love.
If the ritual has you scratching your head in wonder, youre not alone.
Is it so youll get engaged?
oneVogueeditor asked when the topic recently came up at the office.
Be careful doing that, another advised.
I heard you’re able to choke.
to get to the bottom of the phenomenon, I consulted some experts.
Why do people eat grapes on New Years?
Daniel Compora, a professor at the University of Toledo who specializes in folklore and popular culture.
They need to be eaten at each stroke of midnight.
Another variant suggests that doing so will ensure a person finds love during the coming year.
Where did the tradition come from?
This is really a Spanish tradition, explainsMichael A.
Many say it originated only in the late 1890s/early 1900s to use up a surplus of grapes.
Theres also some evidence in late-19th-century newspapers that high-class people would eat these grapes on New Years for lunch.
Is eating grapes on New Years a choking hazard?
Individuals have also discovered ways to mitigate the issue.
Seedless grapes sell out very quickly in Spain on New Years Eve, Wolf notes.
Do you really have to be under a table?
If you want to sit under a table, it wont hurt.
But its not part of the original tradition, Wolf says.
Some think that hiding under a table is meant to attract yoursoul mate, explains Wolf.
These variations also offer an interesting example of the way traditions can evolve over time.
We have to remember that all traditionsall ritualsare invented, notes Giovine.
What color grapes are best on New Years?
Compora agrees: My research indicates that red or black grapes will suffice.
In the end, the ritual is more about the abundance that the grapes represent than their coloring.
Along with this, grapes numerous clusters are easily understood to be a symbol of prosperity.
Many other New Years traditions include this symbolism of luck and prosperity, especially in the Mediterranean.
As Compora puts it: Like most superstitions, the belief in the act matters the most.
