In which country is it traditional to smash plates on New Year’s Eve? Denmark.
The custom involves saving unwanted or chipped dishes and smashing them against the doors of friends and relatives around New Year’s Eve. The broken pottery is meant as a friendly gesture rather than an act of anger or vandalism. According to the superstition, a large pile of shards outside a home signals that its residents are popular and should enjoy good luck in the coming year.
The tradition is often confused with the New Year’s Eve practice of breaking plates in other places, but Denmark is the country most strongly associated with this particular doorstep ritual. It also fits a wider pattern of noisy New Year customs intended to drive away misfortune and mark the break between the old year and the new one. Today, it is better known internationally than it is universally practiced in Denmark, where fireworks, festive food and the monarch’s New Year speech are also prominent celebrations.