New Year A – Winter joy

New Year

Rooting ahead with its snout

The pig and the sow are traditionally linked to the festive table at the end of the year – but they also have symbolic meaning. Ancient wisdom holds that at Christmas and New Year one should eat “something from the pig”, since it roots forward with its snout, whereas Saint Martin’s goose (like other poultry) scratches backwards with its feet. Saint Martin’s Day thus represents a kind of stocktaking, the close of the year, while Christmas and New Year celebrations look ahead to life and plans for the year to come. Although the pig and the sow are often used to symbolise certain human weaknesses and vices, they are also regarded as lucky animals, frequently appearing on postcards and greetings cards or used as charms and in other depictions. A common motif shows a pig with a horseshoe around its neck and a four-leaf clover in its snout, often accompanied by a chimney sweep, a toadstool and other symbols of the Christmas and New Year festivities.

Janez Bogataj