Old plates are traditionally smashed against doors for luck on New Year's Eve in Denmark. Friends and neighbors may throw unwanted crockery at the entrance of a home, leaving a pile of fragments that signals popularity and goodwill.
The practice is associated with the Danish New Year custom of “smashing plates,” in which broken dishes are interpreted as a blessing rather than vandalism. A household with many pieces outside its door is traditionally thought to have many loyal friends willing to celebrate with it.
Modern celebrations often moderate or replace the custom because of safety, cleanup and changing household habits. Danish New Year's Eve also commonly includes a televised monarch's address, a festive dinner and midnight fireworks. The plate tradition should not be confused with the separate Danish practice of jumping from a chair at midnight to symbolically leap into the new year.