Lucky Pigs: Why Germans and Austrians Give Pigs at Christmas

Baubles, stars, tinsel... and a pig? In Germany and Austria, a little pink pig is one of the most common good-luck gifts of the festive season, and plenty of them end up on the tree.

Why pigs mean luck

For most of European history, a family that owned a pig had food for the winter. A pig meant plenty, and plenty meant luck. The idea has stuck in the language: in German, Schwein gehabt (literally "had pig") means "got lucky", and a Glücksschwein is a lucky pig.

Marzipan pigs at New Year

Around Silvester (New Year's Eve), bakeries and markets fill up with marzipan pigs, often sitting beside a coin, a four-leaf clover or a tiny chimney sweep, the other classic Glücksbringer (good-luck charms). They're given to friends, colleagues and neighbours as a wish for a good year, and if you're in Vienna at the end of December, they're hard to miss.

From the bakery to the tree

A glass pig carries the same wish but lasts a lot longer than marzipan (and is safer from the kids). Hang one on the tree in December and it does double duty all the way to New Year. Take a look at our pig bauble or the rest of our animal ornaments.

Pair your pig

Pigs are part of a whole family of lucky symbols, so they look right at home next to a red-and-white lucky mushroom (browse our glass mushrooms), a chimney sweep or a four-leaf clover. For more ornaments with a story, see our guide to traditional European Christmas ornaments.

Updated November 2026