- Age:6+
- Time:10 min
- Difficulty:Easy
- Mess level:None
- Supervision:No
The symbolism of Pig
In most cultures today, the pig is associated with negative meaning and symbolism - ignorance, greed, laziness and unclean.
But in the ancient world, the pig was most often seen as a symbol of fertility and abundance. It was also connected to goddesses of the harvest, like Ceres in Rome and Demeter in Greece, who received pigs as sacred offerings.
For Celts, the pig is a symbol of strength, love, fertility, good luck and prosperity. In Hindu tradition, the god Vishnu takes the form of a boar called Varaha to rescue the earth goddess from the depths of the ocean. In Egypt, the pig is sacred to god Seth, the god of desert, storms, and foreigners. The pig also represents the twelfth sign of the Chinese zodiac, where it stands for abundance, wealth and friendliness.
As already mentioned, in some cultures and religions today, the pig has a more negative association. In Buddhism, the pig represents delusion (ignorance) - one of The Three Poisons: delusion, greed, and hatred. The Three Poisons are considered to be three afflictions or character flaws that every person carries inside. In Judaism and Islam, the pig is seen as unclean.
Fun pig facts your child will love
Symbolism is one thing, but real pigs are more interesting than their reputation - and these are the facts children repeat to everyone they meet.
Why do pigs roll around in mud?
Make your prediction, then tap an answer to check!
- Pigs are smart. They're among the most intelligent domestic animals, generally reckoned brighter than dogs. They can learn their own name, work out simple puzzles, and even play video games with a joystick in research studies.
- "Sweating like a pig" is scientifically wrong. Pigs barely sweat at all - they have very few working sweat glands. That's exactly why they wallow in mud: it's their air conditioning. Wet mud cools them as it dries, and it doubles as sunscreen and insect repellent. So a muddy pig isn't a dirty pig, it's a clever one.
- Pigs are actually clean animals. Given the space, they keep their toilet well away from where they sleep and eat - one of the tidiest habits in the farmyard, and the opposite of what their name is used to insult.
- They talk to each other. Researchers have catalogued dozens of distinct pig sounds - different grunts and squeals for greeting, complaining and calling their piglets.
Notice how many of these contradict the "greedy, lazy, dirty" reputation from the symbolism above. That's a nice conversation to have with your child: how a reputation can stick to someone even when it isn't true.
Making the Origami Pig
Enough of interesting symbolism. Children love Pigs since they are often popular cartoon characters and are shown as cute and nice characters.
As we already mentioned in our article Develop math reasoning skills with origami, origami is a great way to develop a broad range of skills, including mathematical thinking, fine motor skills, patience and resistance to frustration. We won’t talk too much, so we can immediately start with the fun stuff.
Today we’ll show you how to make this simple and super cute Origami Pig and bring a smile to the face of anyone who sees it.
Materials needed for Origami Pig
- Plain A4 paper or colored paper
- Your hands!
- Bonus: colored pencils or markers for decoration
Instructions to make an Origami Pig
If you’re more visual type, you can check the step by step instructions video on how to make an origami pig at the beginning of an article. Or if you like the static instructions, check the diagram below.
Folding diagram for the origami pig, step by step.
*Instructions taken from Pinterest
Crease it, don't crush it
Origami works best when each fold is crisp. Line the edges up carefully before you press, then run a fingernail firmly along the fold to set a sharp crease. If a step goes wrong, just unfold and try again - the paper remembers the creases, so they act as helpful guides.
What will you develop and learn?
- Develop hand-eye coordination
- Attention and concentration
- Patience
- Math concepts, geometry, proportions, and fractions
- Confidence and resistance to frustration
- Logical reasoning and problem solving
Key takeaways
- An origami pig is a simple, cute model folded from a single square of paper - great for beginners.
- Real pigs contradict their "greedy, lazy, dirty" reputation: they're highly intelligent (often smarter than dogs), naturally clean, and they talk to each other with dozens of sounds.
- Pigs barely sweat, so they wallow in mud to cool down - "sweating like a pig" is scientifically wrong.
- Folding develops geometry, fractions, fine motor skills, patience, and problem solving.
- It's a nice chance to talk about how a reputation can stick to someone even when it isn't true.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you make an origami pig?
Start with a square sheet, ideally pink. Following the diagram or video above, you fold it into a base, shape the snout and ears with a few folds, and add a curl for the tail. It's one of the simplest origami animals, so it's perfect for younger folders.
Are pigs actually clean animals?
Yes. Given enough space, pigs keep their toilet area well away from where they sleep and eat - one of the tidiest habits on the farm. Their "dirty" reputation comes from wallowing in mud, which they do to stay cool, not because they are unclean.
Do pigs sweat?
Barely. Pigs have very few working sweat glands, so they can't cool themselves by sweating. Instead they wallow in mud, which cools them as it dries and also protects their skin from sun and insects. So the saying "sweating like a pig" is actually inaccurate.
Are pigs intelligent?
Very. Pigs are among the smartest domestic animals, generally considered brighter than dogs. They can learn their own name, solve simple puzzles, and in research studies have even played simple video games using a joystick.
What paper do you need for an origami pig?
A square sheet works best - pink paper makes it look the part. You can also use plain A4 and make a square by folding one edge across and trimming the extra strip. Coloured pencils are handy for adding eyes and a snout.
What does a pig symbolize?
It varies by culture. In the ancient world pigs symbolized fertility and abundance, and in the Chinese zodiac they stand for wealth and friendliness. In some traditions, though, they came to represent greed or uncleanliness - a reputation that real pigs don't deserve.
We hope you’ll enjoy making this simple origami pig. And if you’re interested in more origami, we recommend you check the simple origami house or look at other origami shapes we have a guide for. Happy folding!
