The Lead Pouring

For as long as anyone could remember, Mom maintained a unique ritual in the Goodman household. On New Year's Eve, after the party food was cleared and the clock approached midnight, everyone gathered around the butcher-block kitchen island. Out came a large metal spoon, a handful of lead fishing weights, a steel pot of cold water, and a long-necked propane bottle torch. They did not use official European fortune-telling kits; they repurposed whatever lead weights they could buy at the sporting goods store. Uncle Bob usually manned the torch, aiming the jet flame at the underside of the spoon as each person took a turn. The metal heated until it liquefied, beading up and sliding around the bowl of the spoon. The participant then tipped the molten lead into the steel pot of cold water, where it splattered and hissed, instantly freezing into an irregular solid shape. They pulled the lead out, dried it, and held it to a wall to cast a shadow. Mom then announced what the shape represented.

This was Bleigießen (lead pouring), an Austrian and German fortune-telling tradition used on Silvester (New Year's Eve). Families gather to melt lead and interpret the cooled shapes according to a lexicon of symbols. A shoe indicated a happy life. A ship indicated a journey. A tree meant faithful friendships. An anchor meant help in time of need.

Mom was born in Graz and grew up in Hamburg, where her mother, Herta Stein Hofstätter, practiced the Bleigießen tradition in postwar Germany and Austria. The practice may have been more common in the generation that came of age during and immediately after the war, before postwar modernization sidelined many older folk customs. In Chandler, the demographic was different, mostly Latter-day Saint families from the local ward, and the fortunes were delivered in English. The candle flame of the European tradition was replaced by a hardware-store propane torch, but the mechanics remained identical.

The earliest computer records of the event are from 1982–1983, when Dad began logging the participants and their shapes into a WordPerfect file. The family likely practiced the tradition before this date, but the digital document is the only surviving written record. Dad did not record these New Year's gatherings in his personal journals, which he typically reserved for processing stress or documenting major events.

Fourteen people gathered for the 1982–1983 pouring. Nicky's lead formed a shoe ("you will have a blast"). Dad's looked like a squirrel ("profit and victory"). Mom's came out as a house ("to gain recognition"). Grandma G's was a tree ("well-meaning friendships and wishes will be fulfilled"). Peter's solidified into a submarine ("knows the time to make new plans").

By 1985–1986, the guest list expanded to include the Sisks, the Allisons, and other friends. Scott poured a horse ("achieve recognition"). Sueanne got a cradle ("a relationship will be strengthened"). Don's lead formed a vase ("you're in love"). Frankie's took the shape of a porcupine ("beware of jealousy"). Mom's was a Santa ("happy happenings in the future"). Dad's was a car ("traffic with good people").

The 1988–1989 gathering included missionaries serving in the area. Elder Denson drew a castle ("your wish will be fulfilled") and Elder Beacham drew a wagon ("good tidings"). Laura Joan's lead became a deer ("luck and inheritance"). Anne's was a stork ("blessed with children and a change of location"). Seven-year-old Matthias poured an eagle: "lots of fun and courage", coinciding with his stage appearance at a Knott's Berry Farm magic show weeks later. Nick, fourteen, drew a camel: "make progress with great difficulty."

By 1993–1994, Elder Benson drew a palm tree ("good business") and Elder Crockett drew an angel ("peace of mind, happy old age"). Binki's lead formed a bear ("luck, but many are jealous"). Matthias, twelve, poured a shape Mom identified as a CD-ROM: "success and happiness in your endeavors." The family had recently purchased a new computer, and Matthias was managing the hardware.

The 1998–1999 list included individuals outside the immediate Chandler ward, such as Søren Prom, Lena Westerholz, Betty, Heidi, and Jeff.

The last recorded entry in the WordPerfect file is from 1999–2000. Laura Sue phoned in her turn. Mom's lead shaped into a horse or unicorn. Dad's was an owl. Peter drew an eagle, mirroring Matthias's shape from eleven years prior. Quinn, a toddler, drew a train. Matthias poured a shape resembling the earth, for which no interpretation was logged.

The European Union banned the sale of lead-based Bleigießen kits in 2018 due to toxicity concerns, prompting a shift to tin and wax alternatives. The single WordPerfect file recovered from Dad's records functions as an annual attendance sheet for New Year's Eve in the Goodman household across two decades. The entire extended family no longer gathers in Chandler every New Year's Eve, but the tradition remains active. When siblings gather, or celebrate with their own families, the standard lead fishing weights and propane torch still make an appearance.