In Germany, where my dad grew up and where I lived for a couple of years, pigs are a symbol of good luck. (Perhaps that’s not surprising for a country that eats so much pork.)

Around this time of year, it’s traditional for people to give one another a little Glücksschwein, or “good luck pig,” that’s made of wood or plastic or sometimes marzipan. You can also talk about having Schwein instead of having good luck.

And where we would say “Happy New Year,” Germans would wish one another a Guten Rutsch, or a good “push” or “slip,” into the New Year.