Why Grape Sales Skyrocketed on New Year’s Eve, Any Guesses ?
Why Grape Sales Skyrocketed on New Year's Eve, Any Guesses ?
A Spanish tradition, “Las doce uvas de la suerte,” makes waves globally, with India joining the grape craze for a lucky New Year.
As New Year’s Eve celebrations swept across the globe, an unexpected trend caught the attention of Indians: grapes. Grocery delivery platforms like Zomato’s Blinkit and Swiggy Instamart reported a surge in grape orders on December 31, with Blinkit CEO Albinder Dhindsa tweeting that grape sales were 7x higher than usual. Similarly, Swiggy Instamart highlighted grapes as one of the most searched items on its platform for the evening.
This sudden spike in demand stems from the Spanish tradition of “Las doce uvas de la suerte,” or “The Twelve Grapes of Luck.” According to the custom, eating 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve is believed to bring good fortune for the year ahead, with each grape symbolizing luck for one month of the year. Some even take it a step further by eating their grapes under the table for an added dose of luck!
The tradition is said to have originated in Alicante, Spain, in 1895. Facing an overproduction of grapes that December, local vine growers popularized the ritual as a creative solution to boost sales. Over time, “Las doce uvas de la suerte” became a beloved cultural practice in Spain and Latin America.
More recently, social media and popular culture, including references in the hit American sitcom Modern Family, have catapulted this charming tradition onto the global stage. This year, the trend reached India, with many adopting the custom and eating 12 grapes at midnight in hopes of good fortune throughout 2025.
Whether the grapes bring good luck or not, they certainly brought smiles to many faces and boosted sales for retailers. Here’s wishing all our readers a fruitful and prosperous 2025!
