Is there a dream job you're trying to land? Getting ready to ask for a raise? Have a first date and really want it to go well? Or just wishing for that extra bit of luck so things go your way? Instead of merely crossing your fingers, according to a popular superstition, if "rabbit, rabbit" or "white rabbits" or some other variation of the word "rabbit" are the initial words that cross your lips on the first of the month, the following 30-ish days will be full of good fortune, according to lore. The question is, why? We've gotten to the bottom of the true meaning and history of "rabbit, rabbit," so you can decide for yourself if it's a tradition you want to adopt.
So, where did the phrase "rabbit, rabbit" come from?
While we can't pinpoint the precise origin of saying "rabbit, rabbit," on the first of the month, there are several reasons why rabbits are often thought of as good omens and invoked in the name of luck.
Rabbits have been considered a symbol of fortune for over 2,000 years according to NPR. For example, a rabbit's foot has historically been considered a lucky token. In addition, these, um, prolific procreators, are also an ancient symbol of fertility and life, as well as a religious symbol of spring and renewal.
But it wasn't until the early 1900s that we first saw a written reference to the superstition. In a 1909 issue of the British journal Notes and Queries, a parent observed that children would say "rabbits" on the first of the month for good luck, according to the History Channel.
It's also been used by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The Nottingham Evening Post reported in November 1935: "Even Mr. Roosevelt, the President of the United States, has confessed to a friend that he says 'Rabbits' on the first of every month—and, what is more, he would not think of omitting the utterance on any account.”
More recently, the tradition has been kept alive and well by shows like Nick Days by Nickelodeon as well as actress Sarah Jessica Parker, who consistently has posted "rabbit rabbit" on Instagram on the first day of the month and collaborated with GapKids on a 2018 clothing line that features the phrase "rabbit rabbit" on jackets.
How does it work, and how many times do you say rabbit?
Willing to give it a try but not sure of the guidelines? Like many superstitions, there are slight variations in methods and how many times to say the word "rabbit." For example, in a book published in 1922 titled Solomon In All His Glory, the author wrote: "If you say 'Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit'—three times, just like that—first thing in the morning on the first of the month, even before you say your prayers, you'll get a present before the end of the month."
Others use a different phrase. In an op-ed for the New York Times, British-American writer Simon Winchester noted, "Ever since I was 4 years old, I have said 'White Rabbits' at the very moment of waking on every single first day of every single month that has passed."
Or learn from actress Sarah Jessica Parker, who has been dedicated to the "rabbit, rabbit" superstition for upwards of 25 years. Parker told InStyle, there are two options. You can stay awake until midnight of the last night of the month. Wait until 12:01 and then say "rabbit" twice. Or, you can also choose to sleep before midnight, but when you wake up on the first of the month "before you say another word to anybody else....anybody" you must say "rabbit, rabbit." According to Parker this method works as well.
If you forgot to say "rabbit, rabbit" on the first of the month, but you still want to give it a try, you're in luck. According to word historian Martha Barnette, you can say "tibbar, tibbar" (rabbit rabbit spelled backwards) and still be in the clear.
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