Red Ted Art - Make crafting with kids easy & fun

Cute & Easy Crafts for Kids

  • Home
  • START HERE
  • Preschool Crafts
  • Easy Kids Crafts
  • Paper Crafts
  • Free Printables
  • About
  • Join Our Newsletter
  • Cookies, Privacy Policies & Disclosure

New Year’s Eve Traditions: Marzipan Pigs (Germany)

December 19, 2012

Finally we come to one of the New Year’s Eve Traditions that I can combine with a simple how to! In Germany pigs, four leaved clovers, horse shoes, toadstool and a chimney sweep are all signs of good luck.

There are lots of theories about why pigs are a symbol of good luck, ranging from pigs being able to feed your family, to boars being the centre of a bulls eye, to losers being awarded a piglet as a consolation prize in the middle ages.

For New Years, many Germans give gifts of small marzipan pigs to their friends and family. Sometimes adorned with a four leave clover, sometimes a horse shoe other times a toadstool.

How to Make Marzipan Pigs – INGREDIENTS

Ingredients  ( contains affiliate links):

  • a block of marzipan (try and get white or at worst cream, avoid yellow if you can),
  • red food colouring (we used this – US/ UK)
  • green food colouring, (we used this – US/ UK)
  • tooth pick for modelling

Piece of card and cellophane for wrapping & “presentation.

So. How to make your own Marzipan Pig (video):

So. Make your own Marzipan Pig (Photos & Step by Step):

 

The photo is missing the curly whirly tail! SORRY!

  1. Colour your marzipan – a few drops of red should give you pink. Knead it thoroughly. Make some in green too.
  2. Using the pink, make an oblong ball, 4 stumpy feed (make a sausage and cut off four pieces, re shape a little) a disc for nose, 2 triangles for ears and a curly whirly tail (see image).
  3. Put the four feet together, place the ball on top. Press gently down and they should stick. If not, dab with a little water.
  4. Add the nose and the ears. Again gently squeeze on. If they come off a little water should help.
  5. Add the tail (a thin sausage curled up on itself).
  6. With a toothpick add eyes.

  1. For the four leaved clover, take the green marzipan. Make four small balls and a small sausage.
  2. Stick the four balls together. Gently flatten. Using a tooth pick make an indentation to make it heart shape. Repeat on all four sides.
  3. Add the “stick” and stick to the pig.

Place on a small piece of card and wrap in cellophane with a bow. Try and make it air tight. Marizpan can dry out and you want to keep them as moist as possible.

This makes a lovely New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day activity for older kids (I suspect it would be a little unhygenic with younger ones, but they could eat their own piggies). Would you make this one of your New Year’s Eve Traditions?!

Happy New Year’s Eve from Germany!!!!

Want MORE New Year’s Eve Traditions? Take a look at:

New Year's Eve Traditions from around the wrold

«
»

Filed Under: Kids Craft, New Year's Eve 20 Comments

Comments

  1. Jane @ Mama Pea Pod says

    December 19, 2012 at 8:44 am

    Pigs are lucky here too (hence the need to eat pork on New Year’s. No idea why either.

    Reply
    • judy says

      December 13, 2013 at 10:02 pm

      The reason for pigs is that they push luck toward you. They naturally rout with their snouts for food. Hence never eat chicken on New Year’s day because they scratch with their feet away from them when foraging for food.

      Reply
  2. Red Ted Art says

    December 19, 2012 at 11:42 am

    Yes, funny how some things just end up being considered lucky in life?! And how others are bad luck!

    Reply
  3. Rachel says

    December 19, 2012 at 11:52 am

    Those are so adorable!! So cute. Great tutorial!

    Reply
  4. Red Ted Art says

    December 19, 2012 at 1:30 pm

    Thank you! I glad you like them!! 🙂

    Reply
  5. Dawn @ PricklyMom says

    December 27, 2012 at 4:46 pm

    Your pigs are ADORABLE! (Have you considered selling them on Etsy? I bet they’d be a hit).

    I am going to adopt this tradition, since I have some German blood. My boys are 3 and 5, and they will LOVE it. I’m going to try to make my own marzipan, though (just because I hate the thought of the kids eating 500 sugar-pigs, which they probably will!)

    Reply
  6. Red Ted Art says

    December 27, 2012 at 5:36 pm

    Awe so glad you like them and will incorporate them in your traditions! I have never tried making marzipan before! Will have to look into that!!

    Reply
  7. Jenny paulin says

    January 1, 2013 at 6:11 pm

    These are so sweet and what a lovely tradition to uphold!
    Thanks for the link x x

    Reply
  8. Red Ted Art says

    January 1, 2013 at 6:24 pm

    Awe thanks!

    Reply
  9. Isil says

    January 3, 2013 at 9:04 am

    I LOVE marzipan. The piggies are sweet.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. How to make a quick hat for New Year's Eve | Domestic Goddesque says:
    December 26, 2012 at 3:11 pm

    […] has some super crafts specific to New Year traditions in other countries. Check out the dear little marzipan pigs and 12 […]

    Reply
  2. New Years & Reconnect 1/2/2014 « Mudpies & Butterflies says:
    December 30, 2013 at 6:36 am

    […] Germany.  I will try to make a batch of marzipan with organic ingredients for everyone to make a Good Luck Piggie treat. Bring whatever dish or delight you care to bring on the fortune and prosperity for […]

    Reply
  3. How to Make Marizpan Piggies for Good Luck says:
    March 3, 2014 at 2:33 pm

    […] One of the things I wanted to do (that we didn’t get to) was to make marzipan pigs, as they are a symbol of good luck in Germany. (Read all about the German tradition of making marzipan pigs at Red Ted Art.) […]

    Reply
  4. Happy New Year 1/1 « Mudpies & Butterflies says:
    December 29, 2014 at 5:53 am

    […] as they forage.  Try to make a batch of marzipan with organic ingredients for everyone to make a Good Luck Piggie treat. Bring whatever dish or delight you care to share for prosperity, health or fortune for 2014. … […]

    Reply
  5. Countdown to Noon Year's Eve on New Year's Eve - Left Brain Craft Brain says:
    December 29, 2014 at 5:57 am

    […]  These traditional German New Year’s Marzipan Pigs are both yummy and fun to make.  (Red Ted […]

    Reply
  6. Kid-Friendly New Year’s Traditions from Around the World | All Done Monkey says:
    December 30, 2014 at 2:02 pm

    […] In Germany many people give gifts of small marzipan pigs for good luck – make your own in this tutorial from Red Ted […]

    Reply
  7. 31st December | Around the World with the Kids says:
    December 30, 2014 at 4:47 pm

    […] https://www.redtedart.com/2012/12/19/new-years-eve-traditions-marzipan-pigs-germany/ […]

    Reply
  8. New Year Traditions from Around the World-Kids can do it too | says:
    January 1, 2015 at 1:14 am

    […] has been said.) A lovely little blog has a great tutorial on how to make your own marzipan piggy, here. Why pigs for good luck? Well, pigs root for yummy things to eat and “push” good things towards […]

    Reply
  9. Ideas for kid friendly New Year's Eve celebrations says:
    May 27, 2016 at 1:18 am

    […] Make little piggies out of Marzipan to give away (German tradition, see here) […]

    Reply
  10. 15 Festive Marzipan Treats and #TheFoodCalendar December 2016 | Charlotte's Lively Kitchen says:
    December 6, 2018 at 10:32 am

    […] Marzipan Pigs from Red Ted Art […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Recipe Rating




Welcome!

Welcome

Hello! I am Maggy and I love all things crafty and sharing my craft ideas and how tos.

The aim of this site is to provide easy, do-able and fun crafts for all ages.

Categories

Archives

Crafty Blogs

Copyright © 2021 · Website Design By Jumping Jax Designs