'A way to let off steam': Why Greeks love their smashing nights outbr br In a dimly lit tavern in Athens, two singers accompanied by a bouzouki player perform traditional Greek songs while enthusiastic customers take turns to throw carnations or smash piles of crockery at their feet. It is the night of the Epiphany, a major religious holiday in Greece. Breaking plates, the decades-old tradition of late-night folk revelry, "is a way for customers to let off steam," says the tavern's 56-year-old owner Vassilis Miggas.