Some of you may enjoy the Facebook page Rabbits and I’m sure the readers would enjoy your stories and comments! If forgotten before getting out of bed we say “tibbar, tibbar”. We didn’t need to say it first thing, but we competed to say it first. I didn’t know anyone else’s family that did the same where I grew up in North Carolina. I heard you say it anytime. ” Anyone else heard it this way?I also remember, vaguely, a couple traditions about riding past a graveyard that some friend(s) taught me.
Wish I could remember who taught me those. Interesting…We don’t say it first of the month, we say it every Birthday morning, and have every year since I can remember. We also were told as part of yhis ritual it was also important to say Hare, Hare as the last words the night before. My sister and I used to always say this, but we got it from a book series – the Trixie Belden mysteries. All I can say is that old England and New England share a common background that might be a teensy bit old fashioned but overall the world is a better place for us being there. It has to be the first word spoken out loud upon waking up on the 1st of each month, and like many of you – into thin air! I will add that I don’t believe in “luck”, per se.
In my mind, my grandmother was the originator of the tradition, and it extended to all my aunts and uncles and cousins on my father’s side of the family. Not so odd of a tradition but a tradition none the less. I wonder if anyone else has done that. My gran has passed on now and it always makes me think of her and smile, first thing in the morning on the 1st.I hlearned this from my mother 68 years ago; sometime at boarding school someone added “Bunny, Bunny” to be said the night before! Mom and Grama are gone now and I am the one to keep the kids in touch with each other. And it came from England, which makes sense since that is where my grandmother’s family came from. Although the purported reason is to bring good luck, I see it as a consciousness exercise. I’ve long wondered about the origin. More recently, I’ve discovered a few friends who also indulge in this strange habit, one who not only says Rabbit every month but who also collects rabbit figurines of all sizes and of all material, paper and stone not excluded. She was silly in all the best ways with a brilliant laugh, a short shock of black hair and freckled face. My children were taught by friends in the 1970’s to say “rabbit, rabbit,rabbit” upon awakening the first of every month, and I have continued to do so. Fast forward about a decade and I was sitting with my grandmother just before midnight on the eve of August 1.
We are of English descent, so guess that is where we got it. I don’t subscribe to the idea that we need to perform ritual in order to call fortune into our lives. For that matter, once I say the word at the beginning of the month, I tend to forget the whole thing. But I have always had a strong attachment to New England and have always felt the connection to England, too.
Her family always did it.
I think I like the idea that everybody is lucky if they say it. I think my sister brought it home from a year in Switzerland. We are fine! She was delighted – her family said the same thing. Also, as a Rhode Islander, we grew up with butter on our birthday noses.I also grew up saying “rabbit” and continue to do so.
We say “rabbits” (plural) – as far as I´m aware, it came down through my grandmother on mum´s side (British – Jersey, Channel Islands now). First thing in the morning of someone’s birthday, some member of the family sneaks up and smears butter on the birthday person’s nose! My teacher said her college roommate would say “rabbit, rabbit, rabbit” and turn around 3 times. Mom also said we should be running around our bed three times, but that was given up because the beds were too heavy to move away from the wall. Hadn’t gotten around to looking it up yet though so, thanks!Thank you for your charming publication!