The superstition may be related to the broader belief in the rabbit or hare being a 'lucky' animal, as exhibited in the practice of carrying a rabbit's foot for luck. In the United States, the tradition appears especially well known in northern New England although, like all folklore, determining its exact area of distribution is difficult. If you say it again in the morning, before you've said another word, your wish comes true.' Trixie laughed. 'I've finally done it!' she cried 'Well, ever since I was Bobby's age I've been trying to remember to say 'Rabbit! Rabbit!' and make a wish just before going to sleep on the last night of the month. She half-opened her eyes, stretched her arms above her head, and then, catching sight of a large sign tied to the foot of her bed, yelled out, 'Rabbit! Rabbit!' She bounced out of bed and ran out of her room and down the hall.

Trixie Belden awoke slowly, with the sound of a summer rain beating against her window. 'Why,' the man in the brown hat laughed at him, 'I thought everybody knew 'Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit.' 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.'Ĭhapter 1 of the Trixie Belden story The Mystery of the Emeralds (1962) is titled 'Rabbit! Rabbit!' and discusses the tradition: It appeared in a work of fiction in 1922: People continue to express curiosity about the origins of this superstition and draw upon it for inspiration in making calendars suggestive of the Labors of the Months, thus linking the rabbit rabbit superstition to seasonal fertility. In response to this note another contributor said that his daughter believed that the outcome would be a present, and that the word must be spoken up the chimney to be most effective another pointed out that the word rabbit was often used in expletives, and suggested that the superstition may be a survival of the ancient belief in swearing as a means of avoiding evil. Other children, I find, use the same formula. The word must be spoken aloud and be the first word said in the month. My two daughters are in the habit of saying 'Rabbits!' on the first day of each month. The exact origin of the superstition is unknown, though it was recorded in Notes and Queries as being said by children in 1909: 'Rabbit rabbit rabbit' is a superstition found in Britain and North America wherein a person says or repeats the words ' rabbit', 'rabbits' and/or 'white rabbits' aloud upon waking on the first day of a month, to ensure good luck for the rest of it. Superstition pertaining to the first day of a month

Are rabbits lucky