In Denmark, people traditionally throw or smash old plates on friends' doorsteps on New Year's Eve.
The custom involves saving unwanted crockery and breaking it outside the homes of friends or neighbors. A large pile of fragments was traditionally interpreted as evidence that a household had many friends, because the broken dishes represented visits and good wishes rather than hostility.
The practice is a folk tradition, not a universal requirement of Danish New Year celebrations. Many modern households do not follow it, and concerns about litter, safety, and damage have made the custom less common in some places. Danish celebrations also include fireworks, festive meals, and the midnight song “Vær velkommen, Herrens år.”
The object is sometimes incorrectly described as glasses or bottles. Those items may appear in New Year's festivities, but the classic doorstep custom specifically concerns old plates or other discarded crockery.