HAPPINESS BONE OR WISH BONE
The vow bone, also known as the "Furcula" or wishbone, is that famous "V" or "Y" shaped bone found on the carcass of the Sunday chicken.
In many families, this small bone is grabbed during the meal and pulled from one side to the other until it breaks. The one with the longest branch gets his wish.
The wish bone then becomes the bone of happiness.
Where does this tradition come from?
An ancient Etruscan tradition
Historians believe that the tradition of the vow bone originated in Etruria, 400 years BC. The Etruscans, a civilization in northern Italy, were convinced that men must bend to the will of the Gods. They therefore needed to understand the signs the Gods were sending them.
Etruscan priests and diviners attributed divinatory powers to hens and roosters during rituals.
The bone was chosen and venerated for its shape, which evokes the female crotch, a symbol of life and fertility.
During the Roman period, tradition evolved:
"There were too few sacred bones and too many lovers of good graces."
So they came up with the idea of breaking the bone into two parts.
The Roman conquests allowed this tradition to spread from country to country, well beyond the Mediterranean basin.
Later, Europeans took this superstition with them, all the way to America. It's around the turkey, on Thanksgiving Day, that the " wishbone " tradition lives on.
