My mother would save them on the counter for months and then we'd have fun breaking them. "OH!" she would say, "You won! Make a *Wish*" To this day, I'm still saving "wishbones" but never really understood where it all began. Have you? Do you break wishbones?
So, I decided to do a little research and found out that saving and breaking wishbones has been going on for centuries!
Did you know that the "wishbone" history began at least 2,400 years ago with the pilgrims that lived on the Italian peninsula? They believed that chickens and turkeys were fortune tellers and when one of them was sacrificed, its collarbone was considered sacred. They would dry the bone and anyone that wanted to touch the bone made a wish. Ah ha! The name "Wishbone" was born!
Maybe Rodney Dangerfield got some of his sayings from an unlucky break of a wishbone as the terms "I need a lucky break" and "I never get a break" came from the loser of the tug of a wishbone contest!
When the English heard of this wishbone fascination, they called their wishbone breaking, "Merry Thoughts". Personally, I just like "Wishbone" because the loser isn't necessarily having "merry thoughts" now are they?
For those of you that are not familiar with this tradition, a wishbone is found between the neck and the breast of a poultry and it looks like a "Y". To perform the tradition, you need to dry the wishbone for at least 2-3 months. Then, you get another person to try their luck. Each person takes one end of the bone and pulls it until it breaks. The person that gets the larger piece of the bone is the winner and gets to make a *wish*!
So, what happens if the wishbone breaks evenly and the top of the bone is not on either pullers bone? AH! no worries, "you both get to make a wish!"
Finally, the "Wishbone" is explained. I have two wishbones saved and ready to be broken. I have a list of wishes that I'd like to come true, so hopefully I'll get a lucky break!
Do you break wishbones?
That's interesting! We don't have this tradition in our house.
ReplyDeleteWell, it's never too late to start a tradition. Besides, do you know anyone that wouldn't want to wish? :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! I had to laugh cause we get a chicken at Sam's Club every couple of weeks and my husband and I always do the wishbone and I swear he always wins!! lol...
ReplyDeleteI hope your next wish comes true! :)
When we were kids we would ague over who was to get the wish bone. I am sure none of our wishes came true as a result of it. Fun anyway.
ReplyDeleteI remember doing wishbones as a kid but haven't had one in a long, long time. I guess that's because we never buy a whole chicken - just pieces. I never let them dry though....we usually broke them right away. Maybe if we had, I would have had better luck all these years :-D
ReplyDeleteI now know more about the wishbone than I ever thought I would. We haven't saved them since the kids were small.
ReplyDelete@ Java - apparently there's an entire technique of how to 'pull' and it has to do with where you put your thumb.. Somedays I'm all thumbs so I'll have to do it on those days!
ReplyDelete@ LV - I bet you there was some arguing going on at my house too when I was little and my mother used to have us pull them.. Isn't funny the things we can find such giggles in!
@ Donna - treat yourself to a "Wish Chicken" and start wishing again! :)
@ Donnie - Believe me, I was surprised at the amount of information on them too.. All that history over a collarbone! LOL! Maybe Don and you should carve into a nice chicken and make a wish and then perhaps kiss and hug.. :)
What great memories this bought back , emabarrasingly I do not think my children (21 and 19) have even heard of this, chicken is not the luxury it used to be.I remember they were saved for months for weddings and then spray painted silver with a little coloured bow and placed one between 2 at each table for a wedding wish ,I wonder what people would say now:0
ReplyDeleteI love that.. I never thought about spraying them! However, I have seen them dipped in gold and silver and used as necklaces...
ReplyDeleteI haven't broken one in years. I love the facts you gave us. Good luck!
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