As we all see, the time has flown like anything this year. In just a blink of an eye, we are down to just two months from Thanksgiving. Can’t believe it, right? Well, no one can! So, as Thanksgiving is soon to show up, are you all ready to wish for this pandemic to end over the wishbone? For those of you who are still confirming a date, it is November 26th this year.
Well, if you celebrate Thanksgiving, you would already know what we’re talking about, however, there’s quite a possibility of many who still got no idea about what wishbone is.
All right, don’t worry, here we are to give you a good read to know everything about it.
Common questions you might have are:
- Wishbone Meaning
- What it has to do with thanksgiving?
- Why wishbone etc.
So, what are you waiting for, let us just dive in to enlighten yourself about wishbone!


Turkey Wishbone Tradition and Importance
Thanksgiving, as we know, is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the US. It’s a day when there’s a lot of delicious food preparations, including roasted and stuffed turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and much more.
Aha! That sounds mouth-watering!
As turkey is prepared, it is found in the bird. It holds traditional importance during Thanksgiving. It’s considered a sign of luck.
While most people know this, this wishbone tradition did not originate in the USA.
Yes, you read it right, its origin comes from an Italian civilization named Etruscans.
These Etruscans would believe that some sort of divine power is seen in the chickens and that storing the wishbone of birds would still have the power to prevail after the bird’s death.
They would remove it from the birds that were slaughtered and dry it. Then they would make wishes while breaking a wishbone.
When Romans met the Etruscans, they adopted this tradition as well. Romans were the ones who came up with the idea that two people would hold it and pull to break it while making a wish.
The person who’d get the bigger part would have his wish granted. If both were to pull the bone in equal parts, then both would have their wish granted.
From Romans to the British, and to the US, and ever since Abraham Lincoln announced Thanksgiving as a national holiday, the bone is called the wishbone, and this tradition is followed with importance for good luck to date.
What are the lucky wishbone locations?
A bone called Furcula is found in birds, which is known as the wishbone. The bone is found in the area between the neck and breast in a bird which supports the thoracic region.
The bone is of elastic type and helps in the respiration of birds as it contracts and expands with respect to the thorax movement. It was found that this Furcula was also found in dinosaurs.
You still didn’t get it? Too many Biological terms right!
Let us make it easier to understand, it’s the collar bone of birds just like we humans have collar bones.
This bone is a sign of good luck, and if you have got the bigger end of it while breaking, your wish would be granted.


Most common ways to get Wishbone Luck
- It should be dry
The wishbone should be dried up instantly; you cannot break the wishbone on the Thanksgiving table, it may take 2 to 3 days to dry a wishbone.
- Grab with dry hands
Grabbing your wishbone in a particular manner is also important if you want to win. You must use your dry hand to grab the wishbone.
- Take the thicker part
Compare the sides while grabbing the wishbone because mostly the thicker side will not break easily, this will make the thinner side to break and you will have the larger section in your hand.
- Grab as close to the base of the V as possible
Grab the bone near the base, to the V section, close the section where the two bones start to separate. Have a good grip & strength, and your piece will get from the close grip will make you win.
- Stay still and let your opponent pull
Some of the time it is better to do nothing to win; it will be good if you follow all the steps written above and in the end, don’t apply any force, it will end up by announcing you as the winner, as an applied force on the thinner part will pull out the thinner part.
Wishbone Necklace Meaning
Wishbone has been considered as a lucky charm almost forever, however, to be precise, since year 322 B.C. People collect wishbones, and this is a tradition now.
Wishbone Necklace is considered the most valuable gift; it is a symbol of good luck and a better future.


Why is Wishbone Popularity so great?
After Lincoln announced Thanksgiving as a holiday in the USA, in the middle of 1800, breaking a wishbone became so popular that people started to consider it as a Thanksgiving tradition.
The faith within people and the trust towards their wish for getting granted have made the wishbone traditions quite popular over the years.
Do Chickens have Wishbones?
Yes, chickens have wishbones, and evidently, Romans started their tradition with chicken. Americans were the ones who started with turkey. Still in Rome and the countries around Rome use chicken as the wishbone.
Winding Up | Wishbone
This year’s Thanksgiving won’t be the same as we won’t be able to go over to our loved ones’ houses. We don’t have a choice, though, do we?
It is uncertain whether we will witness the thanksgiving parade this year or not. However, we can always hope for the best.
Nonetheless, we can wish for this pandemic to end soon and wish for our health when we break the wishbone.
We didn’t realize such great facts before reading this article about ladybug. Great job.
Thank u so much, Mr. Manish for ur kind support we r sure u will like the upcoming blogs as well!
Keep on reading!