Dear reader...
WALKING IN THE countryside one morning recently, a magpie landed in front of me. Without thinking, I greeted it with “good morning Mr Magpie”. It was only afterwards that I started to wonder why I did. A conversation with friends revealed that most of them did the same, with few having any inkling as to why. Research revealed that this is an ancient custom, prompted by a belief that it is unlucky to see a single magpie. Hence the old rhyme “one for sorrow, two for joy”. In many places, the salutation is completed by asking after the magpie’s wife. This not only shows respect, but also implies he is not solitary and therefore not unlucky. Why was a solitary magpie deemed to be unlucky? The reason is lost in the mists of time. It may have been because the magpie was the only bird not to mourn Jesus’s death on the cross; it may be a connection with witches; it may be because magpies mate for life and a solitary bird has lost his partner. Whatever the reason, saluting the first magpie of the day is a deeply ingrained custom in many places, and one I have followed for years. There are of course many versions of the magpie rhyme. Most start as I have indicated above. It is how they go on that differs. The usual version is three for a girl, four for a boy, five for silver, six for gold, seven for a secret that’s never told. This indicates that it is only a solitary magpie that is unlucky. But there are more sinister versions, including one that continues three for a wedding, four for death. This one goes up to 10 for the devil’s own self. Perhaps this all had a logical meaning to our ancestors – or perhaps they were just doggerel. The truth is unlikely ever to be discovered. I love these old sayings and traditions. It does not matter that no-one truly believes them any more. It is simply wonderful that they still survive, despite all the advances of modern life.