Starting the new year right...with a little superstition

RABBIT RABBIT RABBIT!

Some of you who have read me for a while know that I say that on the first of the month. I don't always put it in a blog entry, but I always say it at some point on the first. Chick on the Bob and Tom Show says it, and that's where I picked it up. I've been meaning to find out a little more about it and write an entry, and it seems like the first day of the new year is a good day to do so. (A while back, a reader--I think it was Estela--found a few bits of information about it, but I neglected to save her email. Sorry, Estela!)

The exact origin of the superstition is unknown, though it has allegedly appeared in print at least as early as 1920 in England. Today it has spread to most of the English-speaking countries of the world, and is related to the widely held belief that rabbits are a "lucky" animal (think of carrying a rabbit's foot for good luck).

Blog forum posts range from hearing this in the early forties from a coworker, to hearing it from their uncle who served in World War I, to their mother using it as a child in Kentucky in the late 1800's. Most accounts trace the saying to England. Maybe some of my British friends can weigh in on this. Are you familiar with this custom?

There are multiple variations:

It is believed that saying "Rabbit Rabbit" on the first day of the New Year will bring yearlong good luck, and the converse: believing that not saying it will bring bad luck.

Being the first to say "rabbit rabbit" to a person on the first of the month will bring good luck. Once someone says rabbit rabbit to you, you are no longer allowed to repeat it to anyone, and you will have bad luck for the month.

Although some of the earliest written references using "rabbit rabbit rabbit," other versions repeat it only twice, or saying just "rabbit" or "rabbits."

The earliest referenced usage may be to saying "rabbits" three times before going to sleep the last night of the month, and then "hares" three times first thing upon waking, but accounts from just two years later report it was three "rabbits" in the morning with no "hares" at all.

Another variation is "bunny bunny hop hop."

Saying "black rabbits" the night before, and "white rabbits" following morning.

Believing that the effect is stronger on one's month of birth.

Referring to the first day of each month as "Rabbit Day."

Various ways to counteract forgetting to say it, most commonly saying it backwards ("tibbar, tibbar") before falling asleep or saying "Moose Moose" upon waking on the second day of the month.

A different but related practice of saying "Happy White Rabbit's Day" to someone in order to bring good luck.

One variation involves an element of competition: Saying "rabbit, rabbit" to another person on the first of the month entitles the speaker to the luck of the listener for the duration of the month. A more modern variation is to say "rabbit, rabbit" to someone on the first day of the month, and whoever says it first wins. The idea of luck is not involved.

Saying "White rabbits, white rabbits, white rabbits."

Saying "white rabbit, white rabbit, white rabbit" as the first words of the month, before getting out of bed -- and the speaker must first reverse position, so that speaker's head is at the foot of the bed and vice versa.

Around 1920 the following belief is common in many parts of Great Britain, with local variants: To secure good luck of some kind, usually a present, one should say ‘Rabbits’ three times just before going to sleep on the last day of the month, and then ‘Hares’ three times on waking the next morning.

Another variation brought about by the Polish is the phrase "Bunny, Bunny."

In the early 1990s, Nickelodeon had a segment called "Nick days," which had an event for every day of the year. The first of every month was "Rabbit Rabbit Day." According to the segment, the phrase "rabbit rabbit" must be the first thing said to the first person you see.

In some areas of the Southern United States, e.g., Tennessee and Mississippi, campers will say "I hate white rabbits" in response to campfire smoke blowing into their face, hoping the smoke will go elsewhere.

At least I know I'm not crazy for saying it--it really is a common superstition in many countries. I'm not really a superstitious person, and it's just kind of a fun and silly thing to do. But just in case, I made this entry early enough so that you still have time to say "Rabbit rabbit rabbit!" and bring yourself some good luck for the coming year!

As for last night, I hope everyone had a safe and fun celebration. The Havarti-Cheddar fondue turned out great (it had sun-dried tomatoes and green onions in it for some extra flavor) and I loved our new fondue pot for cooking beef! Ken made the dipping sauces, and although all were good, my favorite was the honey mustard. Next time I'd like to try a soy-ginger sauce. We couldn't even eat everything I'd set out, and we were both so stuffed we didn't have room for the fruits dipped in chocolate! That might be tonight's meal--along with the champagne we also didn't get to last night! After we cleaned off the table, we curled up on the couch (Sheeba included), and watched the countdown. We (all three of us) then proceeded to fall asleep. We're a bunch of firecrackers here at Nutwood, make no mistake about it! At least we made it to midnight--when I was working, I rarely did.

Today we're going to take down the tree, since we're leaving on Sunday. We'll get that taken care of so we don't have to worry about it when we get back. Perhaps more later!

___________

Rabbit rabbit. (2008, November 25). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17:13, January 1, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rabbit_rabbit&oldid=254044558