Plate smashing is the traditional Danish New Year's Eve practice of breaking old plates at friends' doors.
In the custom, people throw or smash unwanted crockery against the entrances of friends, neighbors, or family members. A large pile of broken plates was traditionally interpreted as evidence of many friends and strong social connections. The practice is often described alongside other Danish New Year customs, including jumping from a chair at midnight to “leap” into the new year.
The plates were generally old or unused items rather than valued tableware. Contemporary celebrations may preserve the idea in a more limited or symbolic form, since smashing crockery creates noise, litter, and safety concerns. Accounts of the custom can therefore differ between regions, generations, and households.
This Danish tradition is easy to confuse with New Year plate-smashing stories from other countries, but Denmark is the best-known association in standard descriptions of global New Year customs. The broader idea is social rather than destructive: the broken crockery represents affection, friendship, and the size of a person's circle.