We only hope these broken dishes do not hurt the bride or groom on their special day. In this weird pre-wedding German tradition, friends and family of the bride and groom come together and break dishes!
And then the bride and groom have to clean up the mess. This way they get to practice ‘working together in difficult times.’ Aren’t we getting a little too literal here, people?
The word ‘Polterabend’ itself comes from the verb Polten – to make a lot of noise and Abend – evening. That noise comes in the form of smashing porcelain and of course the raucous partying that accompanies the evening.
The saying goes ‘Scherben bringen Glück’ – shards bring luck, which is actually a reference back to a time when clay pots were known as ‘shards’ and it was regarded as lucky to have one which was complete and undamaged.
Nowadays the shards come in the form of broken porcelain, pottery, and sanitary ware bought by the guests and smashed onsite. The party traditionally took place at the home of the bride but nowadays the location is a little more flexible, and usually takes place in the happy couple’s current hometown.
The couple is responsible for cleaning up the shards, to instill in them the need for teamwork in their future married life. The smashing is a high point of the evening, I’ll never forget seeing a line of young men holding toilet bowls waiting to throw them onto a driveway.
It is helpful to know a builder or plu
mber, for some ready to be smashed avocado bathroom suites if you want to make a big entrance at a Polterabend.
Alternatively just keep hold of your chipped cups, plates, and bowls, they still smash just as satisfyingly. Never smash glass or mirrors though, unless you want to make the couple unhappy or unlucky.
Making a mess is positively encouraged, the bride and groom will spend most of the night with brooms in hand because as fast as they can clean up the mess, someone will sneak by and destroy their hard work or simply get out another box of china from their car to smash.
If you get lost on the way to a Polterabend listen out for the smashing and also keep an eye out for a skip, the easiest way to get rid of a lot of mess quickly. Other than the smashing, the
party, as with most German parties, will go with a bang.
Since practically everyone gets an invitation to the Polterabend the guests will be a mix of family, colleagues, and friends. If the couple (or one of them) belongs to a Verein (a club for music, sport, anything really) or is from a small town (that kind where everyone knows everyone) there may be some special surprises throughout the night that don’t involve smashing.
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