9.01.2011

Rabbit, rabbit

I have a friend, I'll call her Karen*. On the first day of every month she plays a game with her sister and brother on Facebook where one posts "rabbit, rabbit" very early in the morning, and then is immediately cussed out by the other two. The whole game appears to be over before 6 am, forgotten until the first day of the next month when the sibling rivalry is born again.

I don't get it either.

In my family we play for something more than just bragging rights. Like money. I just figured Karen's* game was some sort of small town weirdness. But today I remembered that I really dig small town weirdness and took to the interwebs to figure out what the heck was going on. Turns out "rabbit, rabbit" is a superstition of unknown English origin, possibly dating back to the 1800's. If a person says "rabbit, rabbit" first thing in the morning, on the first day of the month, he will have good luck for the rest of the month. There are variations of the charm: saying "white rabbit" or the speaker must still be in bed. Not much else to report - vague beginning, middle and end, which is pretty much want you want out of a good superstition.

Poor Karen*. I fear she will never win Rabbit, rabbit - and if her unladylike language after her loss this morning is any indication she also has doubts.

* You can call her Karen, too. Her name really is Karen.

What's so Lucky About A Four-Leaf Clover?
Claudia De Lys

Lightning Never Strikes Twice (If You Own a Feather Bed : and 1904 Other American Superstitions from the Ordinary to the Eccentric)
Vergilius Ferm

Favorite Folktales from Around the World (Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library)
Jane Yolen

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