In Denmark's traditional New Year's Eve custom, old plates are famously smashed against friends' doors.
The practice involves saving unwanted crockery and breaking it outside the homes of friends or relatives. A large pile of fragments was traditionally interpreted as a sign that a household had many friends and well-wishers, rather than as simple vandalism.
The custom is often described alongside other Danish New Year's traditions, including jumping from a chair at midnight to symbolically leap into the new year. People may also watch the monarch's New Year's address and enjoy a festive meal.
Modern participation varies, and the plate-smashing custom is less universal than popular descriptions suggest. It should not be confused with breaking glasses during a toast or with the separate tradition of eating a marzipan-and-almond ring cake called kransekage.