In Denmark, people traditionally break old plates against friends' doors for good luck on New Year's Eve.
The custom involves saving unwanted crockery and throwing it against the doors of friends or neighbors. The broken pieces are associated with friendship and good fortune, and a large pile outside a home can traditionally be interpreted as evidence that the household has many friends.
Modern celebrations do not follow the practice universally, and safety and local custom affect whether it is observed. The plates are generally old or unusable rather than valuable tableware. This helps distinguish the tradition from deliberately damaging household possessions for its own sake.
Denmark has several other New Year's customs, including watching the monarch's New Year's address and eating celebratory food. The door-breaking tradition is particularly memorable because it turns discarded dishes into a symbolic greeting for the coming year.