Tradition runs deep on New Year’s Eve in Madrid. Year after year, tens of thousands of locals and visitors alike pack Puerta del Sol to the brim. As Madrid’s answer to Times Square, this is\u00a0the\u00a0<\/em>headquarters of the citywide nochevieja\u00a0<\/em>celebrations. Just swap out the glitzy ball for an old-school clock adorning the top of the\u00a0Real Casa de Correos\u00a0<\/em>building.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Except this isn’t just any ordinary clock. After Queen Isabella II inaugurated it in 1866, it served for decades as the marker of the official time in Spain. Today, it doesn’t carry nearly so much weight\u2014that is, until the last few minutes of the year, when every eye in Puerta del Sol (as well as millions more watching on TV) will be eagerly fixed upon it.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

As midnight strikes on the old clock, it’s time to dive right into the first can’t-miss Spanish tradition of the new year: eating grapes! But, like the clock, the grapes here are a seemingly ordinary item that take on special meaning on New Year’s Eve in Madrid. There are 12 grapes, meant to be eaten one at a time along with each chime of the clock at midnight. (Sound easy? Wait until you try it for yourself!) From there, the crowd flows out of Puerta del Sol and into any of Madrid’s hundreds of bars and clubs. The party is just getting started!<\/p>\r\n