As the final seconds of 2025 tick away, a peculiar sight will unfold in homes across the UK: single people huddled beneath dining tables, hurriedly chewing exactly a dozen grapes. This ritual, surging in popularity via TikTok, is believed to beckon a year of romance. Seizing the moment, supermarket giant Tesco has launched a dedicated product, sparking a fierce online debate about modern consumerism and the state of dating.
The £1.25 Promise of Romance
Tesco has introduced a specific pack containing 12 seedless grapes, priced at £1.25. For customers who are both single and hold a Tesco Clubcard, the cost drops to just £1. The product directly targets participants of the viral trend, which merges two distinct cultural traditions.
The core practice originates from a century-old Spanish custom known as 'las doce uvas de la suerte' (the 12 lucky grapes). Eating one grape with each midnight chime is thought to secure good luck and prosperity for each month of the coming year, with sweet grapes foretelling good fortune and sour ones hinting at challenges.
However, the TikTok-driven version adds a Latin American twist: participants must consume the grapes while sitting under a table, specifically to invite love and romance into their lives over the next twelve months.
Social Media Erupts: From 'Genius' to 'Consumerism'
The supermarket's commercially packaged grapes have received a polarised reaction on platforms like TikTok and X. Some users applauded the move as a clever capitalisation on a viral moment.
Yet, many have condemned it as a stark symbol of excessive consumerism. TikTok user Paris remarked, 'Consumerism is mad, Tesco hopped right on that,' while another on X declared the supermarket a 'consumerism final boss' for selling a mere twelve grapes in plastic.
For others, the product symbolised a deeper societal issue. Content creator Jenny Ferjay posted, 'Nothing says "UK dating crisis" like Tesco selling women 12 grapes to eat under the table.' Another, Hasti Mostofi, lamented, 'Dating in the UK is so bad Tesco [is] selling 12 grapes... I hope it's better than Hinge.'
A Ritual of Mixed Fortunes
Not all who tried the trend at the start of 2025 reported success. TikTok creator Maria McVey shared a cautionary tale, stating she would not be repeating the ritual. 'To be honest with you, I'm thinking, burn the grapes from the house for the whole of 2026,' she said, blaming the grapes for a year of 'nothing but bad luck'.
The tradition's origins are debated among historians. Some believe it began with grape farmers in Alicante, Spain, around the turn of the 20th century, aiming to sell a surplus harvest. Another theory suggests it started as a mockery by Madrid residents of the upper class's champagne-drinking custom. Regardless of its true genesis, it has now found a very modern, and commercially contentious, expression on British shores.
As New Year's Eve 2026 approaches, Tesco's grape packs stand at the intersection of ancient superstition, viral social media trends, and a pointed conversation about loneliness, love, and the power of the purse.
