Smashing plates is certainly synonymous with Greek culture, and it appears that it is also catching on in India too.
Different cultures celebrate happy moments or express grief in different ways, MSN explained. There is one such tradition from Greece, where the Greeks smash plates together. Recently, quite a few videos have surfaced over social media where celebrities and influencers are taking part in the tradition.
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Why do Greeks smash plates together?
According to Greek Reporter, smashing plates have been used to signal the end and the beginning, to ward off evil spirits and to express abundance. There is no fixed date or reason why the tradition started, however, it is speculated that the tradition started to display wealth in ancient times.
The tradition is followed in the same manner in case of death or happy moments. When a person dies, the smashed plates signify the end of that person on earth. And when a person marries or a child is born the plates are smashed to ward off the evil and to keep negative energies away from the happy moments.
The tradition was outlawed in 1969
This tradition is directly hazardous to anyone taking part in it. The plates break and you may cut yourself with them. For the very same reason, the tradition was outlawed in Greece in the year 1969. The tradition was later replaced with flowers.
Diners at small Greek restaurants or tavernas were able to buy trays of flowers that they could throw at singers and each other in fun and celebration and later with paper napkins, Greek Reporter reported.
The tradition came back with safe clay plates
After the release of the movie “Never On Sunday,” there was a plate smashing scene in the movie. Following the film’s success, plate smashing became even more popular. Demand increased and eventually Greeks turned to plaster copies of plates, to prevent injury and reduce costs.
What happens to the plates?
To make the plates safer and cheaper, they are now made of plaster or clay. Easy and safer to smash and can be recycled later to reduce wastage. The Instagram user who tried smashing plates informed in his caption, “These plates are made of clay & they recycle them everyday so there’s no wastage.”
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