Remember waiting for the wishbone to dry out so you and someone else could make a wish and break it? I sure do. The bone definitely wasn't lucky for the turkey, but down through the ages apparently several groups of people believed in the good fortune of the fragile bone.
Apparently there are several different grips acceptable, as seen above. And the origin of the practice dates back more than 2000 years, to ancient Etruscans and Romans who attributed wish-giving powers to the dried wishbone of a chicken.
Fossil discoveries of recent decades have shown that some kinds of dinosaurs also had wishbones. In particular, those dinosaurs known as theropods: carnivorous dinosaurs that stood upright and walked — and ran — on two legs. ... This means the wishbone itself dates back more than 150 million years.
Can you see the wishbone! Photo from Great Parks of Hamilton County
The tradition was apparently passed down through he ages from Romans to the ancestral English, who brought the ritual with them over to Plymouth Rock. With the abundance of wild turkeys the good luck superstition switched from chickens to turkeys.
Even today, the good luck legend lives on and jewelry resembling wishbones remains popular.
Hints on winning.
Be sure your hands are dry. Some people suggested spraying your hand with hairspray, (that sounds a bit like cheating!). Another tip, just grip your side and wait. letting your opponent do the work probably pulling up and out and breaking the bone on their side.
Oh no—what if the bone splits up the center into equal pieces, or breaks into three pieces? According to the wishbone rules, both people's wishes will come true!
No matter who wins, remember to always play nice...
My hero, Jesse, in Undercover Outlaw, could have used a little more
good luck when he was in jail, accused of murder.
Jesse is determined to track down the man who
killed his brother in cold blood. Impersonating an outlaw, his quest for
justice becomes a living, breathing, part of his soul.
#Wishbone #Makeawish #UndercoverOutlaw #Romanticreaders #Thanksgivingwishbone #WRPBKS
Audubon and BirdNote®
Our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners were always huge affairs with tons of people, so I think I gave up on being one of "lucky" ones to pull the wishbone and never really thought much about the tradition! Hope your wish comes true! :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Darlene. Thank you for the happy thoughts and for stopping. Hoping your special wishes come true as well!
DeleteOh, my goodness! A few weeks ago, I found a wishbone from one of our holiday meals hanging behind some copper pans. My husband believes it's been there for almost five years, lol! We were going to break it but decided to place in back where it was hidden. Perhaps it's giving us good luck. So enjoyed your post, Gini!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh. What a great story. Good idea to put it back and keep the good luck safely hidden.
DeleteHi Gini, We had a wishbone the other day and I shared it with my husband who won, My daughter and I asked him if he made a wish and he said no. What?! Who does that? The whole point of a wish bone is to make a wish, LOL
ReplyDeleteThat is funny! Somebody should have gotten a wish. There certainly aren't any do-overs on that deal.
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