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Why Do We Break the Wishbone on Thanksgiving? The Lucky History of a Tiny Turkey Bone

It's the only time pulling on a bone counts as a family tradition.

By the Buzzuh Team

The short answer

People break the wishbone because of a very old belief that bird bones were lucky. The tradition is often traced back to ancient Europe, was carried to America by English settlers, and likely stuck to Thanksgiving because the turkey has the biggest wishbone on the table. Two people pull, and whoever gets the bigger piece supposedly gets their wish.

First, what even is a wishbone?

The wishbone is the forked, V-shaped bone at the top of a bird's chest. Scientists call it the furcula, which is Latin for "little fork." It forms when the two collarbones fuse together.

For birds, it's not just a lucky charm. The wishbone works a bit like a spring, helping support the shoulders and wings when they flap. Turkeys may not fly very often, but wild turkeys absolutely can.

The tradition is really, really old

The story usually starts with the Etruscans, an ancient people in what's now Italy, who are said to have treated birds as fortune-tellers and kept their bones as good-luck charms. Historians admit the details are fuzzy, so take this part with a pinch of gravy.

The Romans are often credited with the pulling part. As the story goes, there weren't enough lucky bones to go around, so people started snapping them in two, and the bigger half came with the good fortune.

Then it sailed across the ocean

In England, people broke the wishbones of chickens and geese, and the bone picked up a charming old nickname: the "merrythought."

English settlers brought the custom to America. Turkeys were plentiful here, and their wishbones were nice and big, so the tradition found a new favorite bird. The word "wishbone" itself is fairly new, showing up in print around 1860.

How to win the wishbone (sort of)

Pro tip: don't break it fresh. Let the wishbone dry out for a few days after the big dinner so it snaps cleanly instead of bending like a noodle.

When it's time, each person hooks a pinky (or a thumb and finger) around one side, makes a silent wish and pulls. Gripping it closer to the center may give you a better shot at the bigger piece. We didn't tell you that.

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