In a Danish New Year's Eve custom, people traditionally jump from a chair at midnight.
The leap is performed as the clock changes from December 31 to January 1. It is popularly interpreted as a way of literally jumping into the new year and is often carried out in homes while friends and family count down together.
The custom is one part of a broader Danish New Year's celebration. Festive meals, champagne, fireworks, and the Danish song “Vær velkommen, Herrens år” may also feature in the evening. Some people additionally break old plates or dishes outside friends' homes, a separate tradition associated with friendship and good luck.
Descriptions sometimes say that Danes jump “off a chair” or “into the new year.” The essential object is the chair, not a platform or staircase, and the jump is a symbolic household ritual rather than an organized public competition.