The trend saw individuals, including Singaporeans, eating 12 grapes while seated under a table at the stroke of midnight on Dec 31. - NICOLEWENGGG/ TIKTOK
SINGAPORE: New Year’s eve revellers - including some in Singapore - hopped on a growing trend to usher in the new year in 2025, with many taking to social media to document the moment.
Dubbed the “12 grapes”, the trend saw individuals eating that number of grapes while seated under a table at the stroke of midnight on Dec 31. The gesture is supposed to bring good luck and fortune for each month of the year.
According to American news outlet CBS News, the tradition is derived from Spain and dates back to at least the early 1900s by grape farmers when they had a surplus harvest to offload. The practice then expanded to Central and South America.
Many TikTok videos explain the meaning behind the tradition, with some even claiming that young women are more susceptible to striking “good juju” in their romantic relationships.
An ongoing “trend” on the same social media platform that women have been participating in shows them following the tradition to be “awarded” with a romantic relationship within the same year.
A clip of popular hit TV series Modern Family episode which aired in 2013 is also making its rounds online. The clip sees Sofia Vergara, who plays a Colombian character, saying she went from living one extreme to another after following the tradition.
“At midnight, you eat 12 grapes and you make 12 wishes. One for each month of the year,” she says.
This year, however, several videos on TikTok showed that some Singaporeans have also taken part in the trend.
Anthea Koh learnt about it when she went on an exchange programme in Europe earlier in 2023 and also through social media. She tried it when welcoming 2024 and now, 2025.
“When it was nearing midnight, I ran straight for the table and had a pack of grapes I bought from a grocery store earlier in the night. I didn’t care that many people thought I was crazy,” said the 28-year-old marketing executive who celebrated the night out at a friend’s bar.
She added that she had a “satisfactory past year” and was therefore open to trying it again on New Year’s Eve. When asked what wishes had come true for her in 2024, she said she had secured the job she wanted on her second try.
Koh said: “Grapes are delicious anyway, so why not, right? It’s a fun way to welcome the new year.” - The Straits Times/ANN
