Posted
on May 29, 2014
Is
this really a thing?
Several
websites talk about this holiday as if putting a pillow onto your
refrigerator one day a year is something that a lot of people do. I
have definitely never seen or heard of such a thing, myself – I
wonder how widespread the custom really is!
If
you, like me, don't know about the whole pillow-on-the-fridge thing,
you are probably wondering why anyone would do such a thing. It turns
out, it's supposed to bring people good luck and prosperity.
 |
| An old-fashioned larder. |
Somehow,
back in the mists of time, a custom got started of putting a cloth in
the larder every May 29 for good fortune. That was back when people
actually had larders – small rooms (or large cupboards) in which
food was stored. These larders were located in the shadiest, coolest
part of the house—but of course near the kitchen, and they were
kept as cool and dry as possible so that food would keep as long as
possible.
Nowadays,
some of us are lucky enough to have walk-in pantries or at least
large food-storage cupboards, but of course we all have refrigerators
as well. Many of the things people used to store in a larder –
vegetables and cheeses, meats and leftovers – we now store in the
fridge. So somehow the custom of putting a cloth INTO the larder
evolved into putting a pillow ONTO the refrigerator.
Are
your customs based on superstitions?
A
superstition is a belief that there will be some supernatural effect
of wearing, saying, or doing certain things in a certain way. For
example, a student might wear a “lucky” sweatshirt on test day,
or an athlete might eat chicken before every game. Apparently
basketball great Michael Jordan wore his University of North Carolina
practice shorts under his Chicago Bulls uniform every game! In order
to cover the UNC shorts, Jordan started wearing longer NBA shorts—and
he inspired a style trend; now everybody wears longer shorts.
Basketball shorts before and after Michael Jordan.
Thank goodness for Michael Jordan!
 |
| This is pretty gross: When I was a little girl, EVERYBODY (yes, even me) had a rabbit's foot lucky charm. You could feel the little bones and toenails. Now it seems pretty horrifying! |
Obviously,
there is no evidence that a cloth in one's larder or a pillow on
one's refrigerator on a particular day in May makes any difference in
one's life. This is just a superstition. But a lot of things that
start off as superstitions—things that people believed really WOULD
bring good luck or ward off bad luck—become fun customs that people
continue to do long after superstitious belief in their power has
faded. (For example, colored eggs were supposed to protect the
owner's health or bring good luck—but these days, most of us who
color Easter eggs do it just for fun!)
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