Three
Great Ways to Ring in the New Year, Spanish Style
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| Bringing in the New Year in Marbella is always special |
Okay it’s not even Christmas, but with all the hustle and
bustle of Christmas sometimes we forget about New Year’s Eve until it’s
midnight and you’re by yourself with the TV listening to other people having a
lot of fun.
The good news is that if you’re spending New Year’s Eve in
Spain then you’re never too far away from the nearest party. This is one of the
great things about living in Spain and expat life; you’re surrounded by good friends who are
always up for a laugh.
However the waiting will always prove to be the hardest
part. It’s all too easy to find yourself thinking that someone else will do
something, just as you would in any crowd. This can often leave everyone
disappointed. So why not handle things a little differently this year?
Here are three great ways to ring in the new year, Spanish
style, to give yourself the best start to 2017 possible.
12 Lucky Grapes
Wine is made using grapes and Spaniards eat grapes at the
stroke of midnight for good luck. If you remember that wine is made with grapes
you’ve got a good idea where we’re going with this. The tradition is to eat 12
grapes, one at each stroke of midnight. Why not break from tradition just a
little and have a little bit of wine each strike instead? 12 sips is about half
a glass and you’ll have already had a lot by then so it’s not like a little
more can hurt.
On the Right Foot
Some areas of Spain observe the tradition of starting the year off on the right foot literally. So you would need to step forward with
the right foot as the clock strikes midnight. Let’s get a little more creative
with this. What about if your right foot stepped you into something different,
like a pool? Or into a limousine ready to take you out? Or maybe it just takes
you to the stereo so you can change the music. It doesn’t matter where it takes
you. What matters is that you start the new year in a memorable fashion.
Do it Twice!
Thanks to the strange time-zone that Spain is in the country
as an hour ahead of their neighbour Portugal. If you’re feeling particularly
adventurous and want to keep the party going then why not have to New Year’s
Eves by driving and head to Portugal to do it all over again? It can be boring to just
wait at the border so instead you should ring in the new year in Spain in the
western town Badajoz. From there you grab your designated driver and make the
25-minute drive across the border to Elvas. If you time it right then it’ll be
about 11:30 PM and you can regale the locals with tales of the future.
