Denmark is associated with smashing old plates and dishes outside friends' homes on New Year's Eve.
The custom involves throwing unwanted crockery against the doors of friends or neighbors. A large pile of broken dishes was traditionally interpreted as evidence that a household had many friends and social connections.
The practice is often described alongside other Danish New Year's customs, including jumping from a chair at midnight to symbolically leap into the new year. Many modern celebrations are less destructive than older versions, and the dish-smashing tradition is not followed universally.
It is sometimes confused with ordinary vandalism or with customs from other Nordic countries. In its traditional form, the broken plates were deliberately saved or used for the celebration, and the social meaning mattered more than the objects themselves.