10 Interesting New Year’s Traditions from Around the World

Jordana Weiss | December 31, 2018

7. Denmark

In Denmark, the New Year’s festivities start off in a relatively sedated way as most people in the country tune into Queen Margrethe’s New Year’s Eve speech, which takes place around 6 p.m. The Queen summarizes the year, thanks the country, and wishes them a good new year. Most young Danes consider the closing of her speech to be the starting gun for the more alcoholic portion of the evening.

The traditional Danish New Year’s meal is cod with mustard sauce, and after dinner, many people gather around the TV to watch a short film called Dinner for One. It’s been played on New Year’s Eve by the Danish national broadcasting company since 1980. At midnight, Danes take pieces of broken crockery and smash them against the doors of their friends’ homes, as a sign of friendship and affection.

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