“Rabbit Rabbit”

~ FmH

Thanks to Richard, who replied “Rabbit, rabbit” to the reprise of my annual ‘New Year’s Customs and Traditions’ post below. 

I was not acquainted with the quirky British and American tradition that, if you say these words before anything else on the first day of the month, it will bring good luck for the month to come. Appropriately, it led me down a rabbit hole, exploring the origins, variations, and some of the ramifications of the belief. 

Because of their legendary fecundity, rabbits are associated with flourishing and good luck in many cultures. As the fourth sign in the Chinese zodiac, the rabbit is particularly auspicious. In various Native American cultures, the rabbit is a trickster valued for cleverness, problem-solving ability, and capacity to escape predators. The ancient Celts reportedly believed that rabbits’ advantages related to the fact that they could communicate with spirits because they burrowed underground.

According to this piece in the Farmer’s Almanac, the first written reference to the use of the particular phrase “Rabbit, Rabbit” to bring good fortune was a 1909 report in an English periodical of a parent who noted  that his children uttered the phrase up the chimney on the first of the month in hopes of getting a gift. The writer commented that they knew other children to share the custom.

A Wikipedia article about the custom notes several 20th century literary depictions. FDR claimed to say “Rabbits” on the first of each month and also carried a rabbit’s foot during the 1932 presidential election he won by a landslide.

More about rabbits’ feet:

Also, a rabbit’s foot, especially the back-left one, has long been thought to be a good luck charm. In African-American folk spirituality, it was thought that rabbits’ feet would increase fertility since rabbits themselves are so fertile. But there were some rather eerie stipulations about those feet: the rabbit must be captured or killed in a cemetery, and the foot must be cut off on a certain day of the week under specific circumstances. 

WWII British fighter pilots “opted for even greater luck by using the phrase daily”.  Gilda Radner’s version was “Bunny bunny” and journalist Simon Winchester claimed that he had recited “White rabbits” for 696 consecutive months beginning at age four. The custom may be related to another folkloric practice of invoking rabbit-related phrases to avoid smoke being blown into one’s face when gathered around a campfire. Some speculate that it may originate with a North American First Nation story about smoke resembling rabbit fur. 

Many who entered comments to the Farmer’s Almanac piece wrote that they thought their families were the only ones with this odd practice. One commenter taught the practice by his mother thought it was a Jamaican custom until his 20’s when he learned it was common in New England. In fact, there do appear to be a disproportionate number of comments originating in Maine. Folklorists have collected numerous variations on this superstition from areas of rural England and areas of North America rich in English immigrants.

During the 1990’s the US children’s cable TV channel Nickelodeon would, during commercial breaks in its programming, promote the last day of each month as “Rabbit Rabbit Day” and remind its young viewers to say the phrase the next morning. 

Numerous variations on the tradition have been described. Triple repetition appears to be common. One reader was taught to say “Jack rabbit” and a significant number say “White rabbits” (or text it). One wrote in to 

…say “HARES” as the last word on last day of month before going to sleep. Say “RABBITS” first thing the following morning, or “WHITE RABBITS” if you forgot HARES the previous night.

In another’s family, they yell “Bunny bunny” at midnight instead of “Happy New Year.” Some make a competition of being the first to say it and complain that foreign exchange students to whom they have taught the custom have a competitive advantage because of the time difference. 

Staying awake on the last night of the month and uttering the phrase at 12:01 am or, if one goes to sleep earlier, saying it first thing upon waking are both suggested. If the phrase brings good luck, does forgetting to say it foretell a less fortunate month? According to one source, when you realize you have forgotten you can be in the clear by saying “Tibbar Tibbar” (the phrase backwards) as soon as you can, or “Black rabbit” before you go to sleep that night.

There are some beliefs contradicting the luck brought by rabbits. 19th century seamen would reportedly not use the word at sea. And seeing a white rabbit in one’s village in South Devon was a sure sign that a seriously ill person was likely to die. 

One columnist in New England opines,

I don’t subscribe to the idea that we need to perform ritual in order to call fortune into our lives. But I do believe I should honor my family and maybe this is how I do it. At this late date in the family history, it would seem sacrilegious to abandon this tradition. And so I keep on. And delight when I find another soul who has carried this old superstition into the 21st century. And to all, I say, Rabbit!

Related: Rabbit Rabbit:

‘…a trivia card game of superstitions, myths, and folklore for 1-10 players, providing a peek into the stories told and passed down through the ages to make sense of a complicated world and to help us feel in control of our own destiny.


Possibly related? The three hares (or three rabbits)

‘…is a circular motif appearing in sacred sites from East Asia, the Middle East and to the churches of Devon, England (as the “Tinners’ Rabbits”), and historical synagogues in Europe. It is used as an architectural ornament, a religious symbol, and in other modern works of art or a logo for adornment (including tattoos), jewelry, and a coat of arms on an escutcheon. It is viewed as a puzzle, a topology problem or a visual challenge, and has been rendered as sculpture, drawing, and painting.

The symbol features three hares or rabbits chasing each other in a circle. Like the triskelion, the triquetra, and their antecedents (e.g., the triple spiral), the symbol of the three hares has a threefold rotational symmetry. Each of the ears is shared by two hares, so that only three ears are shown. Although its meaning is apparently not explained in contemporary written sources from any of the medieval cultures where it is found, it is thought to have a range of symbolic or mystical associations with fertility and the lunar cycle. When used in Christian churches, it is presumed to be a symbol of the Trinity. Its origins and original significance are uncertain, as are the reasons why it appears in such diverse locations.

 

See also:

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