Where Did the Wishbone Tradition Start?
The
Etruscans, the ancient civilization in
Italy. They were really big fans of chickens
and believed in their ability to predict the future. They would leave the
wishbone out to dry and people would touch the bone and make wishes. This practice carried over to the next residents of
the area, the Romans. They proceeded to start breaking the wishbones. They took
that practice them when they traveled north to what is now England. The English
adopted it, and the settlers brought the tradition with them to the new world,
where they applied it to turkeys, because that's what was available.
