I have saved many of our annual wishbones from Thanksgivings past. Why? I don't know.
Guess you could make a sculpture or art piece from them.
Or perhaps, display them in a pretty tableau - maybe even paint them with gold leafing, though I prefer the natural bone.
Well, I wondered how the wish part came about. The wishbone is a furcula, or 'little fork' in Latin. In the 1400's, it was used as a method of divination. A goose's wishbone was dried overnight after a feast of some kind. The elder studied it the next morning and would predict whether the winter would be severe or mild, dry or wet. It was also an object of superstition used by warriors on whether or not to wage wars and carried as talismans.
All good, but I wanted to know where the wish came in. As you know, the persons hold on to the furcula (I like wishbone better) and the one receiving the larger part makes the wish. This practice developed in the 17th century and at the time was called a merrythought.
I'd hate to pull apart an ostrich's furcula. Ick.
Obviously, it is a rainy day here. I guess I am pretty superstitious, the yin of wishes. The number thirteen - well I never schedule anything on that date. I'm sure there are many more that give me pause, but I can't think of any right now.
Do you have any superstitions? I'd like to know.
