Do you say, “Rabbit, rabbit,” for luck on the first day of the month?

Have you heard others saying it (or seen them posting it on social media) and didn’t know why?

Here’s how I remember it…

Girl Scouts

At Girl Scout camp, in 1970s Idaho, we had a tradition, on the first day of the month, of circling our beds (or sleeping bags) three times, and saying, “Rabbit, rabbit!” thereby securing good luck for the rest of the month. It was supposed to be done first thing in the morning, before saying or doing anything else. (I don’t remember what you were supposed to do if your bed was shoved up against a wall. Perhaps some other Girl Scouts will chime in to clarify.)

Family

When I came home and told my family about it, this practice somehow got morphed into a competition, whereby if one family member said, “Rabbit, rabbit,” to another, and that person had not yet thought to say it themselves, they were considered to have been “Rabbited.” Jinxed, in the mildest way possible. (They could not, in turn, “Rabbit” anyone else.) No one was actually wishing anyone ill, but it was fun to remember first and to “Rabbit” others. My mom took delight in that game and there was nothing I could say or do to restore it to its original format.

In any case, there seems to be no consensus on the original format.

I thought of it as a Girl Scout thing until the internet was invented and told me otherwise.

Wikipedia

If you are the least bit interested in this topic, you will enjoy reading the Wikipedia entry. Here you can find some discussion about the murky origins and several variations of the tradition. Some folks are adamant that there should be THREE rabbits. (We definitely were saying, “Rabbit, rabbit,” but did we say it again each of the three times we circled our bed?) I say it depends on what you grew up with, same as with all traditions.

Origins: No one knows. It seems to be limited to English speaking countries, and the earliest mention anyone can find is 1909.

Variations: “Rabbits!”, “Rabbit rabbit”, “Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit”, “Rabbit, rabbit, white rabbit.” I have never read or heard of anyone else circling their bed while saying it, but some wait up until midnight the last night of the month so they can say it literally first thing the next month. One feature they all have in common, though, is that it’s a first-day monthly ritual with the goal of ensuring good luck.

NOTE: Don’t look too deeply into the tradition of carrying a rabbit’s foot for good luck. Yes, I had one as a child. It seems gruesome and unnecessary now.

Adulthood

The family game waned a bit when we grew up and spread out to live across the country in several different states. Rabbiting via phone, text, email — and, theoretically, carrier pigeon — totally counts! Skywriting would be fun. And it waned even more when my mom died. But it never disappeared altogether.

When I started my Organized for Life business in 2004, my goal on the first day of each month became (and remains, in my retirement) to get my email newsletter published. So Rabbiting family members wasn’t uppermost in my thoughts. But I also never completely forgot about it.

Facebook

Enter Facebook. I only have a handful of Facebook friends — Deanise, Roxanne, Kathy, Mark (RIP) — who post “Rabbit, rabbit!” on the first day of the month. They often include a cute bunny image, and I always enjoy it when they do. I think we could all use a little luck, so don’t be surprised if you see me posting, too, in the future. Not as a “gotcha”, but as a general well-wish to myself and others.

More

Here are a few additional references to “Rabbit, rabbit”:

This is a Facebook page for those who celebrate: https://www.facebook.com/RabbitRabbitDayGoogle “Girl scout camp” and “Rabbit rabbit” to read this AI overview.This People.com article, like most other articles on the subject, is totally a regurgitation of the Wikipedia page.My friend and organizing colleague, Julie Bestry, while not a monthly “Rabbiter”, mentioned the tradition in this blog post: Organizing a Fresh Start: Catalysts for Success.NPR addressed the topic in this brief segment.As I was writing this post I discovered a “Run, rabbit, run!” prison superstition.I’ll bet you there’s a whole TikTok universe about this (#RabbitTok?), but I don’t have time to go down that, um, rabbit hole. But you can, and report back!

 

Do you observe Rabbit Rabbit Day?

Where, how, and from whom, did you learn it?

Is there something else you do for luck?

Does your family have another silly tradition or superstition to share with us in the comments?

 

______________________________________________________Hazel Thornton is an author, genealogist, and retired home and office organizer.Book:  Hung Jury: The Diary of a Menendez Juror Book:  What’s a Photo Without the Story? How to Create Your Family Legacy Book:  Go With the Flow! The Clutter Flow Chart Workbook Feel free to link directly to this post!  Click here  to ask about other uses.Copyright 2025 by Hazel Thornton,  Organized for Life and Beyond

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