Smashing old plates against doors on New Year’s Eve is especially associated with Denmark.
In the tradition, people save unwanted crockery and throw it against the doors of friends or neighbors. A large pile of broken plates was traditionally interpreted as evidence that a household had many friends willing to visit and celebrate with it. The custom turns an ordinary household object into a noisy symbol of social ties.
The practice is an example of a European New Year custom involving breakage, noise, or deliberate disorder. Such actions have often been understood as ways of driving away misfortune or marking a clean break between the old year and the new one.
Modern celebrations are less likely to involve extensive plate smashing because of safety, cleanup, and changing habits. Denmark also has other well-known New Year customs, including jumping from a chair at midnight and eating a special cake called kransekage.