For many families, breaking the wishbone of the Thanksgiving turkey is a beloved tradition But where does this peculiar practice come from? As it turns out, the custom of cracking open the furcula, or wishbone, for good luck dates back thousands of years!
A Brief History of the Wishbone
The wishbone is technically called the furcula, which is formed by the fusion of a bird’s two clavicles. Archaeologists have found wishbones dating back to ancient Etruscan and Roman times. Around 700 BC, the Etruscans would remove the furcula from chickens and let it dry in the sun. They believed the bone held divining powers and would gently stroke it while making wishes.
When the Romans adopted the practice, chickens and wishbones were scarce. So they began breaking the bones in half to share the luck. Later the tradition spread to Britain and then to America with the Plymouth settlers. As wild turkeys were abundant in the new world turkey wishbones became the bones of choice for making wishes.
How to Make a Wish
To wish on a wishbone, you must first let it dry and become brittle – typically 3 to 5 days. Two people each take one end of the bone, hooking their pinky fingers around it. While making a silent wish, they pull it apart. Whoever ends up with the larger portion will supposedly have their wish granted.
Some more elaborate versions involve balancing the bone on your nose before pulling it or letting the winner choose which closed fist contains the bigger piece. Another common practice is carrying a wishbone as a good luck charm, like a four-leaf clover. But the bone must be broken for the magic to work!
Lucky Traditions Around the World
Similar wishbone practices exist in cultures worldwide In China, two people break open a chicken bone while making wishes during the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival In parts of India, muslims break the kabooka bone for luck on Eid-al-Adha.
Many Hispanic families use the neck vertebrae of slaughtered goats during Navidad to make wishes. In Norway and other Scandinavian countries, people break open a dried cod head on Christmas Eve. So the wishbone ritual clearly resonates across continents and beliefs!
Meaning Behind the Tradition
So why is this delicate bone imbued with such symbolism? Most attribute it to ancient beliefs about birds being oracles with the power of divination. The wishbone’s V-shape also represents human qualities like cooperation, imagination, and hope. By sharing the experience of breaking it, we connect with others through this meaning.
The act and origin of cracking wishbones show our common human desire for good fortune. We may come from different places, but at the core, we all have wishes to make and dreams to fulfill. And the promise of luck from this peculiar little bone speaks to the optimism in our hearts.
The Takeaway
While its power may be more symbolic than supernatural, the wishbone ritual bonds families through a timeless tradition. Whether making wishes around a Thanksgiving turkey or a Chinese Moon Festival meal, this practice unites us through hope and heritage. So as you gather for your next feast, take a moment to break the wishbone and make a wish!
The evil eye is everywhere
Dating back to at least the sixth century, the concept of the evil eye as a protective talisman persisted throughout Greek classical antiquity, the Phoenicians the Persians, the Roman Empire and the Ottoman era. While it is also the most popular souvenir among tourists, the evil eye in some shape or form adorns practically every home or place of business and can be found in the jewelry box of every Turk there ever was. The “evil eye” is generally a blues glass bead or object with a white and black eye at the center. The theory is that they distract from malevolent or jealous gazes, which according to superstition could result in harm or bad luck.
There are a variety of beads available in an assortment of shapes and sizes, with some made from recycled glass. The most minute can be used to adorn jewelry, while beads 1 centimeter in size are fastened to clothes with a safety pin, a regular practice for babies. Larger evil eyes are hung as is or incorporated into wall hangings and can often be spotted hanging from trees. The evil eye can also be seen hanging in trees. (Shutterstock Photo)
The Assyrian evil eye
A popular evil eye talisman in Turkey’s Mardin province is the Assyrian evil eye, which either comes in the form of an oval turquoise bead with two horizontal holes to resemble eyes or a circular seven or nine-holed bead. They are often wrapped or embedded in silver or gold and are said to never crack when smashed or dropped. These beads are traditionally worn on necklaces.
In the Mount Kaz (Ida) region of Çanakkale and Bayramiç, there is a popular good luck charm carved from terebinth wood. The terebinth, or turpentine tree, is widely used in Turkey, including as an aromatic for coffee and as a soap used to shampooing hair, but it also serves a more spiritual purpose. The wood is carved into a tiered totem that is said to be the “life tree,” a reference to the woods ability to endure all difficult conditions. Smaller versions, which are about 2 centimeters in height, are used as charms on necklaces, while larger versions can be hung up on walls.
On every New Years Eve households across Turkey smash a pomegranate in front of their door, a superstition thought to bring prosperity in the year to come. According to superstition, having pomegranate ry in the home, in whatever form, can be symbolic and will also encourage prosperity.
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