A whole host of interpretations and good luck charms continue to influence New Year's celebrations to this day. These customs have been part of the magical thinking and actions of traditional societies since time immemorial. They revolve around saying goodbye to the old year and welcoming the new.
The background to the boisterous, sometimes debauched celebrations is the hope for fertility and prosperity in the new year.
Widespread is the "lead pouring" shortly after midnight. In a specially designed spoon, a piece of lead is heated over a candle flame, melted, and then quickly dropped into a vessel of cold water. From the shadow of the resulting figures one believes to be able to interpret the future.
At the turn of the year lucky charms are booming
Popular are the "Glückspfennige", which according to. The old folk wisdom "who does not honor the penny, is not worth the thaler", could maintain their lucky meaning until today.
The lucky penny, in times of the euro actually lucky cents, but hardly anyone says that, is a symbol of wealth. By giving it as a symbolic gift, one wishes the recipient never to run out of money.
The horseshoe, on the other hand, is a talisman to protect house and yard and to keep strangers from entering.
In earlier times, it was also nailed to ship masts - even Admiral Nelson made sure that the "Victory" did not set sail without this lucky charm.
Chimney sweeps or chimney sweeps are considered lucky charms because they were always the first to walk through the streets on New Year's morning congratulating the New Year.
Luck also comes from the flower pot. The speech is of course from the four-leaf clover, the "Glücksklee", which is supposed to bring luck according to popular belief. he mysterious shamrock actually comes from Mexico and inspires secret wishes and hopes at the turn of the year.
Widespread are also lucky pigs, mostly made of marzipan. Even for the ancient Germanic tribes, the boar was sacred. The pig is considered a symbol of fertility and thus a sign of prosperity and wealth. "To have had a pig" means with us that one has had a lot of luck. Among the Greeks and Romans, anyone who had a lot of "pig" was considered privileged and well off.
The ladybug is considered the messenger of heaven to the Mother of God, hence the name. Protects children and heals the sick when he flies to them. Never shake it off or even kill it - that brings bad luck.
You can play it quite safe by adding up the lucky charms.
The trade has long specialised in marketing, the superstition that is still widespread in modern times. Even in the supermarket you can buy lucky pigs made of marzipan, ladybugs made of chocolate, small pots of lucky clover decorated with a chimney sweep or a lucky penny.
Egal, if it helps, think certainly many, and ultimately, as is well known, faith also moves mountains. ;-)
