For as long as I can remember, I wished on a star, on 11:11, when I blew out my birthday candles, and on shooting stars. Well, not really shooting stars, since I've only seen one. I love making wishes and seeing if they'll come true. I even come up with reasons why the wish did or didn't work that specific day. Considering I do this, I started to wonder how all these things got started. Why is it just 11:11 and not 12:12 also? Why do we only wish on birthday candles? I thought it was time to find out, so I did!
Wishing on a shooting star
I first heard of this when I was little and was being read a "Junie B. Jones" book. She wished to be her aunt's flower girl even though another little girl was doing it. She explained to her that she couldn't take the wish back because stars are very fast with their wish granting. Wishing on stars all started with the Greeks as most things do. They believed the stars were souls falling from or going to heaven, and it was very lucky to see one so they started wishing on them. Personally, if I thought a soul was falling from heaven I wouldn't want to wish on it.
Wishing on your birthday candles
Another one I'm sure lots of other people have been doing since they can remember. I remember I used to wish for a pony, but I never got one. Again, this tradition started with the Greeks. They would bake cakes for Artemis, the goddess of the moon. The cake would be the moon and the candles would be life. It was the Europeans, however, who started making actual wishes on the candles. The fire on the candle again represented life and when you blew it out to make a wish the smoke would take your wish up to heaven.
Dandelions
These little flowers were always so much fun unless you breathed before you blew them away, then you got a mouth full of seeds. When herbs and plants were the most advanced form of medicine, dandelions were considered magic! They were used to cure so many illness and diseases since it's one of the most detoxifying herbs. So if you found one that was white and grey, it was lucky to make a wish on them.
Wishing on 11:11
This is by far my favorite time to wish. My friends and I will remind each other through text or if we're in the room yelling “11:11!”. I get so mad at myself when I miss it just because it's a wish a day. However no one really knows how this got started. It's been said forever that repeating numbers are magic or lucky. I mean, that's why you get an extra turn in monopoly if you roll doubles right? 11:11 is the only time where all the numbers are the same, so maybe that's why we wish.
Wishing on a Fountain
Most of my mother's change went into fountains when I was a child. This age old tradition dates back to 19 B.C. in Italy. Roman soldiers who were tired, dehydrated and hurt were looking for a water source. They came across the Trevi fountain which gave them drinking water and so the legend says healed their wounded and sick for over 600 years. The fountain was declared to give good fortune if you wished at it. At some point people started throwing coins in to wish instead of just at the fountain.
Eyelashes
I've pulled eyelashes out just to make a wish when I really needed them. They're the only surefire way to wish when you want where you want, though, I don't think the ones I've pulled out really count. This tradition started across the pond in England back in the 18th century, or maybe it started with Cornish schoolgirls. No one is really sure who was first with creating it. Both versions are very close in details. Both also say the eyelash must be put on the back of your hand and come off without you blowing. The English say you must throw your hand over your shoulder, and if it comes off your wish will come true. The schoolgirls, however, say if the wind takes it away your wish will come true. Either way I've been doing it wrong for years!
Whether these are true or just a childhood thing that we've carried with us, wishing making life a little more fun, whether you wish for a million dollars or for the boy you like to break up with his girlfriend. Wishing on 11:11, an eyelash, a star, your birthday, or whatever you wish on adds a little more magic to your day. I honestly can't think of anyone who couldn't use a little more magic.
