Bob Bolling 's Website in Galicia, Northwest Spain

Traditional New Year's Eve February 2002
Like in the USofA, most people here spend their New Year's Eves partying at a night club, dining and dancing at a restaurant, or watching the celebrations on television. Regardless of where they spend the evening, Spaniards usually observe the "the twelve grape tradition". We do it at home.
Watching the celebration in Madrid on TV, you eat a grape for each bell as a big clock strikes midnight.	After the grapes, a champagne toast, of course!
Afterwards, at about 1:30AM, we walked over to the parish community center to have a drink and visit with our neighbors. This was the parish's first New Year's morning get-together and it may or may not become a tradition. Spaniards my age (and even older) are able to stay up until the wee hours with no problem. I had to take an afternoon siesta to be able to make it.
Our neighbors had a drink, watched TV and chatted until the wee hours of the morning.	Marivi and her mother (lower left) visiting with the neighbors. In the background, other folks are visiting at the bar.