On New Year's Eve, Danish people traditionally jump off a chair to symbolically enter the new year.
The custom is performed at midnight, when participants stand on a chair, sofa, or another raised place and jump down as the clock changes. The action represents leaping into the new year and is often carried out alongside a toast and the eating of a traditional New Year's dessert such as kransekage.
Danish celebrations also have a distinctive plate-smashing tradition. People may throw old plates at friends' or neighbors' doors, with broken crockery historically interpreted as a sign of friendship and popularity. Modern practice varies, and some households use safer or symbolic versions.
The chair-jumping custom is not a formal national ceremony with one fixed ritual authority. It is a widely reported Danish New Year's practice, so descriptions can differ in whether they mention chairs, sofas, or both.