When we bought our house here in Andalusia in 2008, we thought we had set ourselves up on our mountain in the hope of admiring all the New Years Eve fireworks from the villages around us . So at the stroke of 12 o'clock we stood outside, with cava and an oliebol (Dutch pastry)...but no fireworks to be seen. We obviously hadn't thought this through well enough! ;-) 

The following year, we celebrated La Noche Vieja at a restaurant in Nerja. Here's what we had learnt:

Fireworks

So Spaniards generally don't set off fireworks themselves. This is often done in the central square or promenade of a village or town, paid for and conducted by the municipality. On 1 January, coastal villages also traditionally hold New Year dives (into the sea).

Red underwear

Every year, we see that in lingerie shops, department stores but also the small clothing shops in our village, it is full of red underwear at this time of the year! Because, those who wear a red set under their clothes on New Year's Eve can count on good luck the following year, tradition says. If you really want to get serious, the red underwear has to be taken off at midnight and burnt ! (and nobody does that, right?).

12 uvas de la suerte

To celebrate the New Year, a little before midnight we take 12 grapes - one at each chime - which is supposed to bring prosperity for the next year. The trick, I've since learned, is not to chew the grapes but to swallow them with a big gulp of cava in one go, otherwise you won't make it in time. The uvas de la suerte (lucky grapes) is a fun Spanish tradition that dates back to the last century. Many people think it is a religious ritual, but has a pure economic explanation. In 1909, so many grapes were harvested that a clever marketer decided to sell them as a packet to eat during the 12 chimes of the New Year, for good luck in the New Year. Well, who wouldn't want that?

Money

Besides happiness, do you want better luck with your finances in the new year? Then start the year with money in your shoes. So you then have to put this in before midnight! Since this is not so practical, some say you can also choose to eat the grapes with money in your pocket. I say, this is better...

Travel

Those who want to travel afar in the New Year should take their suitcase for a walk around the block at noon. Superstitious people are convinced that this makes you more likely to make great trips. Again, this tradition is not so practical, especially if you have to eat grapes AND burn your underwear first. So I have never seen anyone following this tradition walking with a suitcase on New Year's Eve !

Food

There is no party here in Spain without good food. We have since become accustomed to enjoying a special Noche Vieja party dinner with friends, which, in some restaurants, can include dancing. Meanwhile, we also know that every restaurant has to be booked and paid for far in advance because there are limited places and lots of interest...

What happens every year (and we secretly look forward to this) is that after dessert, in whichever restaurant we've been over the years, a party package is handed out, the so-called 'cotillón', containing confetti, garlands, hats, glasses, noses, whistles, trumpets, etc. It immediately becomes a big carnival, with honking and blaring; everyone joins in, puts on a nose or cap and so the whole restaurant immediately explodes with noise and frivolity……. it's really quite entertaining.

Now that we're in Nerja again this year, we'll go to the Balcon de Europa and right after midnight we will see the tail end of the fireworks and join the many hundreds of people there to dance and sing along with the live band and that really makes it a fun international New Year's Eve. Around 4 o'clock, well ,we're usually done by then and roll contentedly into our hotel bed ... then in the morning we head to our friends just outside Nerja for our New Year's dip, with oliebollen (Dutch pastries) and cava as a reward! 

Muy Feliz y Prospero Año Nuevo!

Jan en Marita