Lucky foot? Unlucky rabbit!

Why do we consider a rabbit’s foot to be a lucky charm? A rabbit’s foot is considered lucky in many countries, but especially in America, where over 10 million rabbit’s feet are bought every year and are said to bring good luck to their owners & protect them against evil spirits.

A rabbit’s foot is considered lucky in many countries, but especially in America, where over 10 million rabbit’s feet are bought every year and are said to bring good luck to their owners & protect them against evil spirits. The rabbit’s foot is mostly worn on a neck-chain or put on a key chain and is even available, dyed in various colours.

Many actors are known to keep a rabbit’s foot in their make-up box and some even apply their make-up using the foot, while sportsmen are known to wear them on neck-chains. Rubbing the charm all over a newborn baby ensures that the child is always lucky. But one should be very careful to not lose the charm, as misfortune will then move in swifter than the running of a rabbit.

The superstition is thought to be of Afro-American origin and is said to be one of the oldest in the world, as old as around 600 BC. It is assumed that this is a carry-on of rituals or talismans of an African tribe and may also be connected to the legends of the Br'er Rabbit (representing the black slave who used his wits to overcome situations and extract revenge on the white slave-owners)

Since rabbits live underground, they were also linked to darkness, witches, and the devil, but were considered to have protective powers against these evil forces. Also earlier on, only the left hind foot of the rabbit was considered lucky and it had to be rubbed to bring on good luck. The hind leg was considered lucky because when rabbits run, their hind feet go ahead of their front, although it is not clear as to why only the left hind foot was taken.

The ironical part here according to some historians is that although rabbits are slaughtered, it is the hare that is supposed be have supernatural powers. The hare has historically been both feared and revered and were sacred to the ancient Celts, who associated them with the moon as did the Chinese, Mexicans, American Indians and Egyptians, The hare also stood for peace, prosperity and good luck amongst the Chinese but was considered as omen if sighted, while for the North American Indians, the hare was a symbol of their saviour as well as hero of the Dawn, father, guardian, creator, transformer and a trickster. Also the hare was considered a divinatory animal because they are born with their eyes open.

Read Full Article

Resources for

American Gift Club