............ Noche vieja in
Spain is a party night like everywhere else in the world, though the timing of
the ‘Partying’ is a little different.
Rather than starting early and building to a crescendo
at midnight, the Spanish see in the New Year sober, well relatively sober,
either with friends or with family, and then go out on the town. The partying then continues until about 6am
for an early night, or much, much later!
Some of these parties, Cotillónes, last all through the night, after which
everyone has a breakfast of chocolate con churros.
It is the tradition, which dates back to 100
years or so ago after a harvest when there was a surplus of grapes, that at
each strike of the midnight clock a grape, symbolizing happiness, hope, and
good luck for the coming year, must be
eaten. When the clock finishes striking twelve and all the grapes have been
eaten, people greet each other with a hug and a kiss and the toasting begins
with sparkling Spanish cava.
Eating the grapes quickly enough isn’t as
easy as it seems and these days supermarkets and local shops sell small cans containing
12 small, seedless (and sometimes peeled) grapes, for easier consumption. Traditionalists
still prefer the ‘old way’ of eating the grapes which is really far more fun.
In our local village square, it is the
tradition to stand on one foot whilst eating the grapes and then to step
forward into the New Year on the last stroke of Midnight.
Many councils in Spain greet the New Year by
lighting big bonfires and then, it's time for Fireworks. It always seems to be a competition as to who can make the most noise and Spain is one of the noisiest nations on Earth.
The actual countdown to midnight is followed by millions of Spaniards gathered on Puerta Del Sol in Madrid in an event televised nationwide; just as in each town and village square people also hold their own countdowns.
For the past week or so, all the lingerie shops and
underwear market stalls have displayed red underwear in preparation for another
Spanish New Year's Eve tradition. With supposed roots in the medieval taboo of
wearing red, Spanish ladies continue to wear red underware on New Year's Eve as
a symbol of life during winter. Really,what
better symbolizes life than red undies? Well, at least it may symbolize its
beginnings and based upon the amount of red underwear on sale, from thongs and bikinis
to granny briefs, it would seem that many Spanish women take part in
this fun tradition.
