In Denmark’s New Year’s Eve custom, some people traditionally smash plates against friends’ or neighbors’ doors.
The practice is a form of festive “plate smashing,” in which old or unused crockery is broken outside the homes of people one wishes well. A large pile of fragments has traditionally been interpreted as evidence of many friends and good social connections.
The custom is associated with Danish New Year celebrations but is not observed by every person or household. Modern celebrations also commonly include fireworks, champagne, and the traditional New Year’s speech by the monarch, broadcast nationally.
This practice is easy to confuse with the Greek custom of smashing plates, which is associated with celebrations such as weddings and entertainment rather than specifically with Denmark’s New Year’s Eve. Danish versions use unwanted tableware and a seasonal good-luck meaning.