"Rabbits, Rabbits"; March is here.

Rabbits, Rabbits; March is here

I'm not sure why I do this but at the beginning of each month before I say anything else, I say,” Rabbits, rabbits”. Stupid really but always have done it and I wouldn't mind betting my sisters do it as well. My mum said if you did that you would be lucky all through the month. Another English superstition.

I was curious about how this came about so using my trusty computer and Google I looked it up.

It seems this has been going on since 1200 A D and nobody seems to know why. It's obviously to do with good luck and also because the hare or rabbit was deemed a lucky animal. I remember that some people in England also carried a rabbit paw around for luck. Just thinking about it makes me cringe now but I do remember someone ,I can't remember who, letting me stroke the soft velvety rabbit paw. At the time I was very impressed.

I understand this superstition has gone all over the world and especially to Europe and other places that were colonized by England and the English speaking people.

Do you think the French say Lapin, lapin and the German say kaninchen, kaninchen or do you think the luck only works if you say it in English?

Lucky rabbits paw ( not for the rabbit!)

I also found out that I might been saying it wrongly and I should have been saying” rabbit,rabbit white rabbit as it is the white rabbit part that brings the good luck .Also you have to say it out aloud not just think it.

Linked to this strange tradition was another peculiar one which I hadn't heard of before and this you only do on January 1 to bring you luck during the whole year. For this you had to walk backwards down the stairs saying rabbit on each stair.

You probably needed luck for that especially if you had a few drinks on New Year's Eve.

So now it's March and lets hope it a good and lucky month but if it isn't I'll know why.