*From our friends at shoprabbitrabbit.com*

On the last day of each month I regularly remind myself before bed that THE MOMENT my eyes open the next morning, on the first of the month, I MUST say aloud "rabbit, rabbit". For me, this superstition began somewhat recently thanks to a dear graduate school friend, though they had been adhering to this routine for many, many years.

For anyone who is unfamiliar, you're probably wondering if this blog is jibberish delivered by AI. But for those in the know (IYKYK, am I right?) this is a longstanding folkloric tradition. But what are the actual origins of this?

Just as we discussed with the Bloody Mary legend, the Rabbit, Rabbit practice comes with somewhat obscure beginnings as well as a plethora of variations. Most sources, however, trace the superstition back to England, sometime before the 20th century.

Some claim this tradition began with Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, which was published in 1865. I think it's safe to say most of us are familiar with the story, and the White Rabbit character that instigates her fantastical trip. While some sources call this happenstance "luck" and therefore view the White Rabbit as a lucky character in this story, I'd personally push back on that a bit, as I wonder if one would truly consider Alice's journey in that story a lucky one.

*Illustration by Anna Bond of Rifle Paper Co.*

Whether that was where this custom began or not, the first documented story about someone performing this ritual was in 1909, in "Notes and Queries", a scholarly journal founded in the mid-1800s in England, "in which scholars and interested amateurs could exchange knowledge on folklore, literature, and history" (according to Wikipedia). Here, someone wrote in to say that their daughters said "rabbits" on the first of the month, and that it must be the first word said, as well as implying that it would bring luck. Other fictional works throughout the 1900s mentioned the habit, including The Mystery of the Emeralds (1962) and even The Baby-Sitters Club books from the 80s-90s.

Arguably, many young people picked up on the habit thanks to Nickelodeon's "Rabbit Rabbit Day", part of their Nick Days promotions. (For those who are elder millennials like me, there's a link below to watch one of those "Rabbit Rabbit Day" clips. You're welcome.) However, the superstition was noted in pop culture decades earlier, when even Franklin D. Roosevelt, who famously carried a rabbit's foot with him for good luck, "confessed to a friend that he says 'rabbits' on the first of every month."

*FDR's lucky rabbit's foot- image from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library*

As I alluded to above, there's many variations of this ritual, with some folks saying "rabbit, rabbit, rabbit" or "white rabbit, white rabbit" or honestly, any number of combinations of the phrase. In some places, primarily in the Midwest US and in parts of Canada, the phrase isn't uttered at the first of the month for good luck but instead is said at a bonfire to keep the smoke from blowing your way. While generally speaking there aren't any other animals subbed in for rabbits, Gilda Radner supposedly used to say "bunny, bunny" for luck instead.

So why rabbits? In many cultures throughout time and throughout the world, rabbits are heralded as signs of life, fertility, rebirth, and other auspicious things. Rabbits are considered a generally positive omen, and are used across the globe as harbingers of luck, so it makes sense that if one were to make a ritual to manifest such energy, rabbits would come to mind.

What do you do if you forget to say those magic words to kick off your month? Well, have no fear, you can say it backwards, once you remember to do it, and say "tibbar, tibbar" instead. Other traditions include manifestation rituals like writing a list of the things you seek or setting intentions. You might also do a cinnamon blowing ritual to welcome in abundance.

So, Spooky Sisters, do you "rabbit, rabbit"? Do you have other rituals you perform for luck? We could all use plenty of that these days, so give us all the lucky tea in the comments below, or come to our Discord to tell us more.

See you in two weeks with another spooky (or spooky-adjacent) blog, but until then...

KISS

Keep It Spooky Sis :)

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*Sources used:

Nick Days video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJeAH9VX_Bo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_rabbit_rabbit

https://www.masslive.com/news/2023/05/origin-history-of-saying-rabbit-rabbit-the-1st-day-of-the-month-for-luck.html

https://www.southernliving.com/news/rabbit-rabbit-first-of-the-month

https://www.farmersalmanac.com/rabbit-rabbit

https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/a29960757/rabbit-rabbit-meaning/

https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=248041250