why did piggy banks become popular? Why were pigs used instead of other animals or figures?
In: Other
Piggy banks are very common in Germany. The oldest suspected piggy bank was found in Thuringia and dates to the 13th century. It did not have coins in it, so there’s no proof that it was used to collect coins.
[https://www.thueringer-allgemeine.de/leben/vermischtes/article219654573/Deutschlands-aeltestes-Sparschwein-ruht-im-Weimarer-Depot.html](https://www.thueringer-allgemeine.de/leben/vermischtes/article219654573/Deutschlands-aeltestes-Sparschwein-ruht-im-Weimarer-Depot.html)
Pigs have always been a symbol of luck, wealth, frugality and utility. There are many sayings in German that refer to pigs. “Schwein gehabt” (literally having pig) means someone was very lucky. “sauwohl fuehlen” (literally feeling well like a sow) means being very content and happy.
A family with a pig was able to feed table scraps to the pig or had it forage in the woods. Once slaughtered, almost the whole animal was used for meat, sausage, head cheese, leather, bristles,… Having a pig was related to relative wealth and the animal a symbol of good luck.
Ancient China also used containers called pumane made from clay. The most common animal shapes were cat, dragon, and pig.
Latest Answers