Polterabend: The tradition of breaking dishes
Imagine, entering a party where cups and saucers are flying through the air, smashed porcelain is scattered all over the floor and the venue looks almost like someone had a fight and things got messy. What’s worse is, you are asked to join and do the same, break more porcelain. Wait, what kind of party is this? Well, it is a wedding shower that you are attending in Germany!
Called Polterabend, meaning ‘wedding shower’, it is a unique wedding ritual in the country where friends and family gather at the front of the bride’s house and smash things on the floor such as; vases, crockery or anything that makes a lot of noise except glass and mirrors, of course.
Shards bring fortune
The long-celebrated tradition of Polterabend is supposed to bring luck to the couple. According to an old German saying, “Scherben bringen Glück” or shards bring good fortune.
But how did it all start? Well, the beginning of the tradition lies in late medieval times. For centuries, people have tried to chase away ghosts and demons with a loud noise. Thus, smashing dishes creates noise which serves the purpose to protect the bridal couple from evil.
Let the Chinaware fly!
So, when is the event supposed to take place? Well, initially, Polterabend took place until midnight on the previous night of the wedding and represented the threshold in the transition from bachelorhood to marriage. Lately, however, it is often celebrated a week before the wedding.
The venue, customarily, is supposed to be the bride’s parents’ house. However again, the other event venues have become common alternatives over the years. After all, you require a suitable space where no one is hurt amidst flying dishes.
No invitation is generally needed and anybody can show up on this day to celebrate with the couple. And what all can guests bring in to smash? All kinds of old stuff they want to get rid of – from cups and saucers to flower pots or ceramic tiles. Some people even go all out and show up with sinks and even toilets or full bathtubs. Just a little caution here, not all kinds of shards will bring good luck. According to a common superstition, broken glass and especially mirrors bring years of bad luck.
Of course, a German celebration wouldn’t go without food and drinks. Back in the day, guests would hand the bridal couple chickens as a wish for fertility. However, the same is nowadays done with chicken soup for its traditional and delicious taste but also for its symbolism.
Who cleans the mess?
If you thought that things end there meaning people break things and leave, no you are wrong. The funnier part is once the dish breaking is done the bride and groom have to sweep the floor together and dispose of all the shards. This symbolic act represents the future challenges that the two will have to master together during their married life.