It's an annual holiday tradition in most American households. Here is all you need to know about it. Most importantly, how to break the wishbone for good luck this Thanksgiving.
Fun fact. The technical name for the wishbone is furcula. It means little fork in Latin. Saving wishbones is said to go back thousands of years to the Etruscans, Historians say they saved the wishbones of chickens for luck, but did not break them.
The tradition eventually evolved and made its way around Europe. That includes the English. When the Pilgrims arrived in the United States they carried on the tradition with turkeys.
Tips On How To Break The Wishbone For Good Luck
There are a few things to keep in mind when preparing for the wishbone breaking feat. First, it is best to remove the wishbone from the turkey before you cook it. This way it has more time to dry. It also makes carving the turkey a little easier.
Next, make sure your hands are dry if you are the one pulling the wishbone. Experts say try to get the thicker side of the bone and grasp with your thumb and forefinger.
Finally, try to let the other person pull more. That force is believed to have a higher chance of breaking on their side leaving you with a bigger piece.
The person left holding the bigger piece gets their wish granted. If the sizes are about the same, you both get your wish.
Break The Wishbone For Good Luck Superstition
A new report by Slots Paradise says the Thanksgiving tradition of breaking a wishbone is the most popular good luck superstition with Americans. The number of internet searches for wishbone breaking is nearly 87,000 per month.
On the flip side, the most popular bad luck superstition is Friday the 13th. Americans make almost 286,000 searches per month for that one.
When it comes to cities, Atlanta is the most superstitious. Orlando comes in second place, with residents making 110 superstition-related searches per 10,000 people.
Now that you have the 411 on the wishbone tradition, you just have to determine how to pick the people who get to pull. That is an entirely different game of luck. Happy Thanksgiving.
