Is this a common custom? (Germany)

Germany: "Polterabend" What kind of custom is it? It's a party held the night before a wedding or engagement where relatives and friends gather and violently throw and smash a large amount of pottery (plates, bowls, tiles, etc.) onto the floor. It is believed that "the broken pieces of pottery bring good luck (and ward off evil)," and the couple who are about to get married must "work together to clean up the large pile of shards."