However, it is likely that the 12 grapes simply signify the 12 months of the year, and the desire for luck in each and every one of them.

You might be puzzled when you visit the produce section in your super market as to the volumes of grapes, typically sitting in large containers, at this time of year. You might be more puzzled when you see the people grabbing the grapes and loading them into bags, faster than you have ever seen them grabbed before. But, now you know it is not due to the buyer's love of grapes; it is due to a tradition.

Instructions: On New Years' Eve, prepare your grapes and be near the sound of a clock.

As the bells chime, 12 beats to midnight, you begin.

If your first grape is a sweet one, it is believed it means that month will be a good one; a sour grape indicates it will be a bad month. Some people believe that eating the grapes will bring them happiness, peace, or good health throughout the year. Others, choosing to make wishes, ask for love, good health, peace, a new red Corvette, and other wishes that will make the New Year special.

DO NOT jam the grapes in your mouth all at once…very unlucky!

Warning: This tradition might cause difficulties for people who suffer from anxiety or worry about being successful with eating the grapes. This adds a great deal of pressure: eating one grape per second, swallowing, putting another grape in the mouth, while also asking a wish to be granted. After all, what can happen to the anxious person, in the New Year, if all 12 grapes have not been consumed within the allotted 12 seconds? And, what happens if each of the 12 grapes is sour?

One suggestion, in order to be successful with this tradition: choose small seedless grapes. They are not only easier to chew but you can also swallow them more quickly. Good luck!

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