Ringing in the New Year

New Year’s Eve we planned to stay in and have a quiet evening with our friend, Paz, eating a nice dinner at home, counting down with the traditional 12 grapes at midnight and then heading to the Youth House for 1:30am Mass and all night Eucharistic Adoration. As we enjoyed our laid back evening, Paz asked us what channel we wanted to watch for the Grape Countdown (I guess I should interject at this point to explain that in Spain they shove 12 grapes into their mouth for good luck…one on each of the last 12 clock dings of the year).   It was that moment when we realized our major oversite…our TV doesn’t get ANY channels!  As Paz looked at us, horrified at the thought, we all kinda laughed and said, “we can count down with a normal clock!?”  That answer was obviously unacceptable…so we decided that we would walk to the main plaza in town, Plaza de Tendillas, where there was a huge clock and sure to be a big crowd to count down with while eating the grapes.

There was indeed a big crowd with a concert going on, confetti and soapy foam being shot into the air and the occasional fireworks.  As the clock got closer to midnight, we prepared with our little tins of perfectly counted and peeled grapes (Paz bought them for us, insisting we have the right kind), anxiously awaiting the challenge of shoving the grapes in our mouths…wondering if it is as hard as they make it out to be.  Apparently, if you get the normal grapes on the vine, it’s quite the challenge and also quite comical…our little peeled grapes were easy and I finished the last one feeling a bit like I had cheated!  We had a great time experiencing the Spanish way of ringing in the New Year and headed to the Youth House for the most important part of our celebration…Mass and Eucharistic Adoration.

The small adoration chapel was packed for the “Alternative New Year’s Eve” at the Youth House.  There were about 30 young people gathered to celebrate the Mass, ask the Lord’s blessing and seek His will for them at the start of the New Year.  Many stayed all night, taking turns in the Eucharistic Adoration chapel and spending time together playing games and singing karaoke.

Mass and All Night Eucharistic Adoration in the Youth House

~ by martinsonmission on January 12, 2010.