In my family, it has always been tradition to save the turkey's wishbone - to wish upon it, of course. My mother would wash and dry the bird's v-shaped breast bone, and she would then set it in the kitchen window to dry. A week or so later, it would be ready. My sister held one side, I held he other, then we would tug until SNAP! The person holding the bigger part of bone was granted one wish.
Thinking back on that memory now, I can't help but wonder: Where the heck did that ritual originate?
According to the website HowStuffWorks.com, the strange tradition was begun around 700 BCE by an ancient civilization known as the Etruscans, who believed birds could predict the future. After slaughtering a chicken, these people would preserve the wishbone, also called the furcula, by setting it in the sun. Anyone who passed by would then pick it up and stroke it, hoping to gain the bird's mythical powers.
Later, this practice was passed to the Romans. But during that time, chickens were scarce; so believers would crack the furcula in half, giving more people access to its good fortune. Ultimately, the ritual was passed to the British, who then carried it with them to the New World.
So there you have it, dear readers. Happy Thanksgiving, and may your all your birds be magic this season.