Wednesday..it's the last day of the YEAR ! Morning

[Nasoosie]

My old New England great grandmother always believed that if the word, RABBITS was the first word you spoke on the first of eachmonth, you would have good luck all that month. January is an even more special time to remember to shout RABBITS, as it's also a new year!

I have to confess that for all the new months of my entire life, I have probably remembered to say RABBITS about 5 times, total! The first words out of my mouth are usually, "Ok, Molly......time to get up!" Or, "Oh no! It's not time to get up, is it?" Or many other not-so-gentle rantings and ravings!

[dcricket]

Well got off work early, came home, fixed up a batch of spaghetti for DHs arrival home from work, went to visit in-laws, came home and manged to stay up (for the most part - kind of teetered in and out of conscientiousness) to experience the sights and sounds of the ringing in of the New Year. I agree...where did 2008 go. I feel like I'm on one heck of a roller coaster ride and the years are simply zipping by. Looking around in this big ol house...no kids, no chaos, DH sitting there snoring in his chair, and wondering hey...whazzzzzzzzzzup? It's sooooo quiet. Think I can get use to this? Oh, and Echo, I promise...we Crickets only bite when someone picks our happy little selves up and start poking and prodding and just being mean...a matter of self preservation dontcha know lol...I'm just a happy lil chirpper though.
I figured you all would've been going yup..Pooker, Sharon, and heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere comes Cricket!
Must say I could be here all day and night for weeks trying to catch up with all the goins on and whereabouts of everyone.
Still uncertain as to whether or not we'll be heading out to the desert tomorrow (ooops make that officially today)...will keep my fingers crossed. Probably ought to get to bed...normally in there sawing logs by now, but ... had to pop in and look around to see who else was still up.
Glad to be here with you all in welcoming the New Year... OH...why shouting RABBITS??? Heck if it'll help turn this New Year around on a positive prosperous spin, I'll scream RABBITS, SKUNKS, PIGS, DONKEYS, and Yes, even CRICKETS! LOL

[Echo]

Soos? I have racked my brains thinking about the RABBITS thing. While I was born in Elmira NY I spent summers in New Hampshire at my uncles. I can't remember anyone saying anything about shouting RABBITS on New Years???? I even talked to a couple of friends in Maine about it. They didn't have any idea.

Hmmmm? I think your Great Granny was having a good on you!!! I just bet she snickered like crazy every New Years when it was brought up!!! LOL I would love to have seen you some morning out on your deck screaming RABBITS. omg!!!

[dcricket]

I have to say, being born and growing up in New England (Maine to be specific), I've never heard of the yelling Rabbit routine to greet the New Year either, but hey...whatever works. I think it's cute!!! I'm sure Elmer Fudd would agree! Hey you Whasckly Wabbit, Happy New Year!

[Nasoosie]

A downeast Mainer should certainly know of the RABBITS tradition! My grandmother was from MA, and her husband, my grandfather, was from VT. Perhaps Maine was just too far up the coast to get the word about lucky RABBITS!! When I asked why RABBITS, neither one could give me any sort of rational clue as to why or how that traditon came about!

But, all my life, I have been trying to remember to make that first word out of my mouth on the first of EVERY month----not just January, New Year's Day----RABBITS! The failure of me to do so is astounding!

I figure it can't hurt! Just scares the pooty out of Molly, if/when I remember to do it!

[Bethers]

OK, I just had to look into this Rabbits thing and found a couple interesting tidbits. First this is a quote from an article on New Year's Traditions:

n Yorkshire, England, people say “Black rabbits, black rabbits, black rabbits” in the closing seconds of the old year. Then they say, “White rabbits, white rabbits, white rabbits,” as their first utterance of the new year. This is supposed to bring good luck.

The entire article is here: http://www.timberjay.com/current.php?article=2901

Next, rabbits are a symbol of new life - which is one reason they are a symbol for Easter. It's very possible that some people in some times took the symbol of new life and applied it to the new year.

Now, I also found a blog about this tradition - where they say that it's not an old superstition ( you can find that blog here: http://mouseski.blogspot.com/2008/01/ra ... abbit.html) (I think they're wrong as evidenced by the fact it goes back to Yorkshire, England and probably is ancient, just not well known). They also say it's probably related to the broader belief of carrying a rabbits foot for good luck. However, I don't know that I agree with that either, as I think that's a pretty modern good luck charm - but I could be wrong on that - maybe that too goes back years and probably they all go back to the pre-Christian times which is where the rabbits were believed to be the symbol of new life - hmmmmmmmm - interesting tho - but yep, her grandparents were not foolin' with her - it is a tradition in other places.

OK, I could go on, but I think that's enough - and now you know why I'm also known by several of my friends as the "Google Queen" - even though I might not use Google to do a lot of my searching

[Nasoosie]

Leave it to Beth to check this RABBITS thing out!!!

I am fascinated by what you found! I have never even thought of actually researching the tradition! Thanks for posting all this info! Gigi (my grandmother) would be so excited to have been able to read info like this!

I am going to mail this info to the rest of my family, so they will be more knowledgeable about RABBITS!!!

THANKS, BETH!!!

[Echo]

Hey kool Beth. I figured her Granny was having a good one on her. It's something my Grand Dad would have done for sure. And my Uncle sure would have. He had his daughter believing that they named Jackson Hole WY after the family because he and Grand Dad had dug a monster hole out there. And that they had taken all the dirt from the hole and built an island named Jackson Island. But no one was suppose to know about the island cause it was a top secret military base. Ginger's teacher sent home a note to him telling him to stop and quit confusing her.

And yeah I can see the rabbit thing with an ancient belief of new life. That's the deal with Easter Eggs cause they were a fertility symbol. Rebirth and new life. The old Pagan holidays are now Christian holidays, along with the old scared sites and holy places. They've been taken over and absorbed into Christianity.

But I think it kool that you looked that up! Thanks.