Grass pig
A grass pig is a ceramic vessel made of terracotta and resembles a piggy bank in shape .
This type of vessel was made by pottery in the Grimma area before 1800 and was originally used in farmhouses as a rearing aid for ducklings and goslings, which were fortified with a little fresh green soon after hatching. Even today, the grass pigs are made to order by pottery and serve as decorative items for the windowsill or front yard.
Structure and use
The grass pigs were modified from the receptacle type of the piggy bank. They were usually made with a length of 15 cm and a width of 8 to 10 cm, have four feet, a neckless head with a suggested trunk, attached ears and a set curly tail. They differ from the piggy bank in the striking, deep grooves on the flanks and on the back with a rough comb in the still soft clay. The small opening on the top is slightly larger than the "money slot" on the piggy bank and is used here for filling with water. With some manufacturers, the surface was refined with a simple glaze. After the first fire, the grass pig was ready for use.
The grass pigs were used as follows 200 years ago:
- They filled them with water, sprinkled grass seeds in the grooves, and took them to the warm farm kitchen so that the grass began to grow. Then they were placed in front of the young ducklings and goslings that were raised under the table or near the kitchen stove and that were not yet allowed outside in the cold April days. They completely eat the grass. In this form, the custom in the Leipzig area was preserved until around 1900.
In addition to this mundane use, the grass pigs soon gained importance as an original birthday present, holiday souvenir or good luck charm. Berlin nurseries were also able to produce large quantities of grass pigs around 1900; they were later replaced in the assortment by herb and parsley pots for kitchen use. At this time the domestic rearing of chicks also declined, the supplies were obtained from poultry farms.
swell
- ↑ Rolf Aulepp: A "grass pig" found in Mühlhausen . In: Eichsfelder Heimathefte . No. 2/84 . Worbis 1984, p. 174-175 .
- ↑ The panorama . Culture mirror of the districts Wurzen - Oschatz - Grimma. Wurzen 1966, p. 50 .
- ↑ Events in the Göschenhaus . In: Stadtverwaltung Grimma (ed.): Official Journal of the City of Grimma . July 2, 2005, p. 5 (also contains a drawing of a grass pig). Digitized version (PDF file; 1.8 MB).