December 31, 2005

Uvas

From December 31, 2004:

Cuban Grapes

Grapes are probably scarce in Miami today as they are every New Year's Eve. During the last week of the year you can go to any supermarket here and find the produce section invaded by grapes. All kinds of grapes. Red seedless, green seedless, big old red seeded grapes. Yet today, the 31st of December, they are hard to find. Where are all the grapes going? you may be asking. Well, I'll tell you.

On New Year's Eve, while most of us are all celebrating the end of the year and the coming of the new year, there is one person in each Cuban household in charge of grapes. The Grape Keeper. People will be dancing and drinking and laughing and enjoying the end of year merriment and one person will be in the kitchen laboriously counting grapes. You'll walk into the kitchen for a few ice cubes and find the counter covered with little plastic cups or some other small container filled with grapes.

Twelve grapes to a container, to be exact.

The grape keeper's job is very important to Cubans. It could be the difference between a good year and a bad year.

A few minutes before midnight tonight, the grape keeper will hand each person at the party their own little container with the twelve grapes. "No te las comas todavia" they'll say. Dont eat them yet. You may be hungry and the grapes may look deliciously juicy in thier little container in your hand, but you can't eat them. You have to wait.

Until midnight.

At the stroke of midinght, while everyone else in the world is screaming and toasting and singing Auld Lang Syne and hugging and kissing, we Cubans are eating grapes. Twelve grapes counted and prepared specifically for you to be eaten precisely at the stroke of midnight, one after the other.

Each grape represents one month and they are eaten on New Year's because it is our tradition. Some say each grape represents luck for each month, some say it is so you always have food to eat in each of the coming twelve months.

It is hard sometimes to eat all the grapes, being a Cuban. Some times there will have been a death in the family the preceding year and as always, that person will be remembered at the stroke of a new year. Other times, there may be a person or two celebrating with you who still have their mother or father or gradparents or siblings still on the island. And at that precise moment in time, with a fresh New Year in sight, a new future upon them, they'll remember those left behind on their beloved Cuba. And remember, possibly, the struggles those family members may face in Cuba just to find their own twelve grapes. It's hard to eat grapes, however delicious they may be, when you are crying.

Twelve grapes, one for each month, every new year.

I'll gladly eat my twelve grapes tonight, and be thankful for having them and having everything else their twelve predecessors from last year afforded me. And for a moment, in between kissing the wife and hugging the parents and kisses on the cheeks from my tias, Ill think about Cuba and hope these twelve grapes she gets this year are different from the 540 she's already had.

Feliz Año Nuevo, everyone!!!! May the coming year bring you all health and smiles and prosperity!

And may it see the shackles of bondage removed from that little island somewhere in the Caribbean.

Oh, and dont forget to eat your grapes. All twelve of them. At the stroke of midnight. One after the other.

My best wishes to all for a happy and prosperous New Year filled with love, passion, good health and freedom. And a huge thank you to all for being part of our family.

Posted by Val Prieto at December 31, 2005 09:35 AM



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Comments

I can just see all of us stuffing ourselves with grapes. Last year we went to Times Square (grapes in tow). This year we are going to a cousin's house in Jersey and yes we are packing the grapes (together with its fermented version as well!). Val what a wonderful, funny, tugging at the hearstrings post. You so well can write what being a Cuban is all about.....you should consolidate your Cuban posts and publish them "El Significado de ser Cubano". Again, Happy New Year.

Posted by: Adriana at December 31, 2005 10:22 AM

I hope your grapes are sweet and plump this new year my friend.

Posted by: Sgt Hook at December 31, 2005 10:56 AM

Val,
What a wonderful piece on Cuban tradition! . . . for years we have celebrated the New Year with relatives and friends . . . many from different countries . . . and the one thing we can always count on is on eating our 12 grapes at midnight. By now, even when we are not together, some of our friends tell me that they follow our tradition too . . . thanks again for reminding us of the good things that can't be taken away from us! :) I wish you all at the Babalu community a Healthy and Happy 2006!/melek

Posted by: melek at December 31, 2005 11:36 AM

I love your piece, Val. We will have our twelve grapes tonight at midnight, too. To never forget those remaining in castro's carcel, thinking only of grapes and knowing the absence of them may mean more long hard months of the dictator keeping them from them.

Posted by: A.M. Mora y Leon at December 31, 2005 11:40 AM

Val, to you, your family, and all of you other fellow bloggers and commentators out there - you know who you are - I can't wish enough good things to/for all of you in 2006. Feliz Año Nuevo! Feel like I've found me a new bunch of friends and family out there, so that closes out 2005 for me on quite a high note...as opposed to New Year's Eve 1961, out in Westchester (Miami), having left Cuba not that long before - as the clock ticked to midnight, my mother broke out in tears, kissed and hugged all of us very tightly...I think I was doing all I could to hold back my tears, since boys weren't supposed to cry, right? Hug and kiss all your loved ones very hard when the clock strikes midnight, tonight. Wish we could all magically meet and share a giant, Cubano-Americano back-slappin' hug.

And have those grapes, they're good for you.

Posted by: Alberto Quiroga at December 31, 2005 12:22 PM

Happy new year Val, hopefully the new year will bring new opportunities to build new bridges and bring freedom to more people around the world.

Felizidades y prospero ano nuevo

Posted by: madtom at December 31, 2005 01:02 PM

A Happy New Year to all!

Every bite of my "uvas" tonight will be like taking a bite out of casstro and his tyranny.

Posted by: Robert at December 31, 2005 01:25 PM

I am personally touched by your story, you see I am the Grape Keeper. As a matter of fact we are going to a local casino tonight to wait for the New Year, and as GOD is my witness WE WILL HAVE our grapes with us. Oh, the idiosyncrasies of my people, how I love them (the people).

¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

Posted by: Orlando at December 31, 2005 01:46 PM

¡Feliz Año Nuevo a todos!

Grapes are also eaten on New Year's in some parts of Puerto Rico. I'd rather go for El Brindis del Bohemio myself, though.

Val, por casualidad, ¿vas a celebrar Reyes?

Posted by: newton at December 31, 2005 02:56 PM

Great post and Happy New Year to everyone! i wwant to ask a question on tradition. we eat the 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight, but we do another tradition that i have carried on from my Granparents and parents: I take a bucket of water and throw it out the front door to wash away the previous year. Anyone else do this?

Posted by: alfredo at December 31, 2005 03:43 PM

Alfredo,

We have always done the bucket of water too ... however ... my mother mops the house and the water she uses to mop the house is the one she throws out the front door ... now ... she also adds a little perfume to the water before she mops ... Wow ... so many little things that we find ourselves doing ... and sometimes not knowing why ... all in the name of our "traditions" ... I also remember that we always started the new year with new underwear ... yellow preferably . . . ha! :) melek

Posted by: melek at December 31, 2005 04:11 PM

Happy new year to all! Many blessings for 2006!

Posted by: Amanda at December 31, 2005 05:02 PM

Here I am....
Getting ready to go party! I got my uvas ready...cleaned my house today and put my "dirty water bucket" outside (I guess that will count since I won't be home at midnight?)
Got yellow underwear on, my grandma always said to wear yellow "bloomers" on New years day...In Cuba we had to make dye with peroxide and something else to get yellow undies...I wonder how they do it now??
Am I missing anything else???
Wear an azabache? or a guayavestido or something??
Oh Yes....Cidra!! El Gaitero! got that too!!
Happy New Year Val and all of YOU!!

Posted by: carmen at December 31, 2005 08:09 PM

I think - I may be wrong - the tossing of the water bucket meant you were throwing or tossing out bad influences/spirits and starting out fresh in the New Year.

Y'all be careful out there tonight! Muuchas Felicidaades!!

Posted by: Alberto Quiroga at December 31, 2005 09:27 PM

happy new year brother...I choose fish eggs instead of grapes but the spirit is still there...

salut

Posted by: mike pancier at January 1, 2006 12:31 AM

melek,

my 7 year-old (half Cuban-half Gringa) niña tira su cubito de agua pa' fuera every year- :)

Posted by: nurian at January 3, 2006 08:20 AM