In Denmark, people traditionally jump from chairs at midnight on New Year’s Eve for good luck.
The custom is often described as “jumping into the new year.” At the stroke of midnight, participants stand on chairs, sofas, or other raised places and jump down, symbolically leaping from the old year into the new one. It is a playful household ritual rather than a formal religious ceremony.
Danish New Year celebrations also include a televised royal speech, festive food, champagne, fireworks, and the breaking or leaving of old dishes at friends’ doors. The chair-jumping custom is particularly easy to misunderstand because traditions differ between families and regions, and not every Danish person practices it.
The ritual is sometimes grouped with neighboring Scandinavian customs, but Denmark is the standard national association for the midnight leap. It should also be distinguished from the separate Danish tradition of smashing plates or dishes, which is associated with friendship and good fortune and has a different physical action.