Plate smashing is a Danish New Year’s Eve tradition involving broken crockery outside friends’ homes.
In the custom, people save unwanted plates and dishes and break them at the doors of friends or neighbors on New Year’s Eve. Finding a large pile of broken crockery outside one’s home is traditionally interpreted as a sign that the household has many loyal friends. The practice turns discarded tableware into a playful expression of social bonds.
The tradition is associated with Denmark, although its popularity and form vary by place and period. It should not be confused with the safer modern practice of simply throwing dishes away, since the distinctive custom is the deliberate breaking of crockery at another person’s home. Danish New Year celebrations also commonly include a midnight toast, fireworks, and the eating of a special dessert called kransekage.