The Danish New Year's Eve celebration in which people traditionally jump off chairs at midnight is New Year's Eve, or nytårsaften. The jump symbolizes leaping into the new year and is performed as the clock strikes twelve.
Danish celebrations also commonly include a festive dinner, fireworks, champagne, and the King's or Queen's New Year's speech. Another well-known custom is eating kransekage, a ring-shaped almond cake often arranged as a tower.
The chair-jumping custom can be confused with other European New Year practices because many cultures use symbolic movements or foods at midnight. In Denmark, however, the distinctive image is guests standing on chairs and jumping down together as the calendar changes.