In a Danish New Year's Eve tradition, old plates are famously smashed against friends' or neighbors' doors.
The custom is associated with friendship and good fortune: a larger pile of broken dishes outside a home can traditionally suggest that the household has many loyal friends. People generally use unwanted or saved crockery rather than valuable everyday tableware. The practice is a colorful folk custom, not a universal requirement for Danish celebrations.
Danish New Year's Eve also includes a televised address by the monarch, festive meals, champagne, and the midnight song “Vær velkommen, Herrens år.” Another well-known custom is jumping from a chair or sofa at midnight, symbolically leaping into the New Year.
Accounts of the plate-smashing tradition vary by time and place, and many modern households do not practice it. It should also not be confused with the separate custom of breaking plates in some other cultures for celebrations or good luck.