What do different cultures do with wishbones?

April 15, 2008 10:31 PM

What do different cultures do with a bird's wish-bone?

Here in the US, two people tug on it to get a wish... but in Iran, two people tug on it to start a bet- the first person to successfully hand the other person an object says "yad-e toro faramoosh" which basically means "you forgot!" and they lose the bet and have to do whatever was agreed on beforehand... the wishbone is kind of just a formality.
I'm explaining it bad but basically what I want to know is, do other cultures have different traditions dealing with the wishbone?

posted by tumbleweedjack to Society & Culture (3 answers total)

In central europe they throw it out with the rest of the bones.
posted by sero_venientibus_ossa at 7:49 AM on April 16, 2008

Among my Chinese relatives and family, I've never known them to do anything with it other than trash it or boil it with other bones in making chicken stock.
posted by junesix at 9:33 AM on April 16, 2008

Japan - make broth.
posted by pandanom at 12:22 PM on April 16, 2008