A New Year’s Tradition in the German-Speaking Countries
Bleigießen (Molybdomancy): Predicting the future

Germans like to predict what will happen in the coming year, and they have an interesting way of doing that: lead pouring. Or, to be more accurate, “tin pouring,” since the dangers of lead poisoning are well known. But it was not until 2018 that German and EU law actually banned the sale of lead-pouring kits (Bleigieß-Sets) that contain even low levels of lead (Blei). However, wax or tin have long been popular alternatives. Divining the future using melted candle wax is known as ceromancy or carromancy.

Melting the tin for “lead” pouring. PHOTO: Micha L. Rieser, Wikimedia Commons

The Lead-Pouring Custom
The tradition of lead or wax pouring goes back to ancient times. The Celts and probably the Romans engaged in this custom, including the interpretation of the movement or shape of the candle flame. Today the figure-pouring custom is usually observed in late December in German-speaking Europe, as well as in Finland, Bulgaria, Czechia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Turkey.

In Germany, Austria, and Switzerland you can buy lead-pouring kits that contain small tin figures (safer than lead) and a special wood-handled spoon for melting them down. Using a burning candle, each person holds the spoon over the flame to melt down a small amount of tin (Zinn) or wax (Wachs), and then pours it into a container of cool water to produce a “frozen” shape. (Many people prefer to use candle wax, as it is less messy and much safer.) Each shape is interpreted to predict that person’s fate for the coming year. Whether wax or tin, in any case, once in the cold water, a unique shape forms. Of course, the interpretation of the resulting shape is always open to debate, but that is also a key part of the fun. If you don’t like the shape you get, or it’s just too ambiguous, you can always try another one.

Shape Guide

Once you have your tin or wax figure, how do you know what it means? This short figure shape guide offers various shape interpretations. Most lead-pouring kits come with their own shape guide. The guide below is just a small sample.

• Ball, Kugel (ball) = Glück rollt auf dich/luck will roll your way
• Degen (epee, sword) = Mut zum Risiko/risk-taking courage
• Frosch (frog) = Lottogwinn/lottery win
• Gitarre (guitar) = Wunsch/wish
• Fuchs (fox) = schlau, Eigenengagement/smart, self-initiative
• Kelch (chalice) = glückliche Zukunft/happy future
• Maske (mask) = überall gern gesehen/welcome everywhere

Viel Spaß! Have fun!

Videos

View these Bleigießen videos to learn more:

1. Lead pouring video with English captions (1:58)

2. Wachsgießen zu Silvester (6:19) – A nice demo in German on how to recycle old candles, make wax figures to melt, etc. NOTE: Even if you don’t understand German, it’s easy to follow the video.

3. Bleigießen – A very professional, short video from Luci Westphal (“In A Berlin Minute”) using tin.

More | Silvester: New Year’s Eve in Germany

Related Pages
AT THE GERMAN WAY

• Silvester: New Year’s Eve in Germany – How do Germans welcome the new year?
• Zwischen den Jahren: Between the Years, Between Christmas and the New Year – The Twelve Nights, the calendar, Rauhnächte, and the many zwischen den Jahren traditions
• “Dinner for One” – A most unusual German New Year’s tradition
• And the sky became a sea of light – Silvester in the Hauptstadt – from the GW Expat Blog
• How to Survive a Berlin New Year’s – from the GW Expat Blog
• Christmas from A to Z – German Christmas traditions and terms
• Christmas in the USA and Germany– A comparison chart
• Epiphany and the Sternsinger – About January 6 in the Germanic Christmas tradition
• Holidays and Celebrations in Austria, Germany and Switzerland

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