🎋Superstitions🎋… by JoAnn
Today is the first of a new month. A friend of mine always posts “Rabbit, Rabbit” on his Facebook page every first day of each month. I had heard this ritual for the first time when my friend mentioned it. I found it fun because I can always respond with a GIF of a cute bunny. Then I began to wonder exactly where this rabbit thing came from. It was an old superstition that a person says rabbit 2 or 3 times upon waking on the first morning of a new month. This supposedly will give you good luck for the rest of the month. I’ve heard of a few superstitions in my life, but this rabbit one takes the cake. But even the Farmer’s Almanac posted it on their online page. I have always trusted the F.A. But I still don’t trust superstitions. I will continue to have fun with my friend and post a cute picture of a bunny in response to his ritual. If there is such a thing as good luck, I can use all I can get.
Tomorrow brings yet another superstitious ritual; Ground Hogs Day. Now that is the king of all superstitions. It has its own holiday! The story goes that if the groundhog sees his shadow on February 2, there will be six more weeks of winter weather. If he doesn’t, there will be an early Spring. All my life, I have watched that chubby groundhog emerge from his burrow in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, on his special day because it is always on television. Of course, the groundhog has been changed many times over the years. Groundhogs only have a life span of around 10-15 years in captivity. Although Punxsutawney claims their groundhog “Phil” has been the same groundhog since 1889. I have never figured out exactly why anyone would believe in such a bazaar thing. Still, it seems that little town in Pennsylvania enjoys the festivities every year and has found great joy from their Phil making their town so famous.
My mother was a firm believer in superstitions. She felt it was bad luck not to respect them. So she never went against one she had been taught. She grew up deep in the mountains of Northeast Tennessee. Many folks up there believed religiously in superstitions and old wives’ tales. I was quite amused by all of them growing up. When I was little, I, of course, believed anything my mama told me. As I grew older, I realized that most were just superstitions. But I also knew how important they were to the mountain people and never disrespected my mama or anyone else. I am happy that I never took on such a strong belief in them myself.
Today I feel more entertained learning about various superstitions than anything else. All seem to have a root, origin, or reason as to why they came to be. It’s interesting to read about. Almost all superstitions come from someone’s healthy imagination. Perhaps someone was bored and got a kick out of putting fear into people. Or maybe someone without a formal education made them up to impress their peers. So many reasons “why” when you think about it.
It does boggle my mind that in 2023, people still believe in superstitions or wives’ tales. With the wealth of self-education we all have at our fingertips, everyone should know better—something else to ponder.
