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LUCK BE A LADY BY TAMMY VREELAND
March will soon roar in like a lion. And with that roar, along comes a splash of luck. What is luck? It is described as success or failure apparently brought by chance rather than through one’s own actions. Chance here, being considered as a force that causes good or bad things to happen. Why is luck sometimes referred to as a lady? It originates from a Roman Goddess named Fortuna. Fortuna was the Goddess of Fortune, which later became known more as luck. A common saying is, “Lady luck is smiling on me, and I’ll be fine.” Most of us identify this next month, March, with St. Patrick’s Day and the “Luck of the Irish”. Did you ever wonder where the “Luck of the Irish” saying originated from? Strangely enough, the “Luck of the Irish” is a phrase that can be traced back to the 1800s in California during the gold rush. Where thousands of unlucky prospectors realized that many of those who’d struck it rich were of Irish descent! Who knew? Instead of going into the details about the hows and whys of St. Patrick’s Day, let’s delve into something different and concentrate on the luck itself. What happens if perhaps Lady Luck is looking elsewhere? What sort of tokens may help bring us good fortunes when she is not around? Of course, the classic 4-leaf clover quickly comes to mind with the month that will come up. But why is a 4-leaf clover considered
lucky? Honestly, I never knew the real reason until I started doing my research and it is actually quite interesting! Did you know that for every four-leaf clover there are 10,000 three-leaf clovers? And that it is said that Ireland has more 4-leaf clovers than any other place? Which, of course, gives probably the true meaning to the luck of the Irish?
you know the deeper red their color with more spots, the luckier you will be? And of course, killing a ladybug could bring you misfortunate, so be careful! While there are several more types of lucky charms that are actually not a cereal a Leprechaun is worried you will steal, I thought I would leave you with one more.
The leaves of a 4-leaf clover stand for faith, hope, love, and you guessed it luck! But if we are not lucky in finding a 4-leaf clover, what other lucky tokens come to mind?
That being a rainbow. Which just might bring back that rascal Leprechaun! For the legend of a rainbow is that if you dig at the end of a rainbow, you’ll find a pot of gold.
There is the traditional horse shoe, a bit easier to find than a 4-leaf clover. A couple of legends surround the horseshoe. One being that horse shoes were made of iron. Mischievous fairies could not stand to touch iron, so shied away from houses that were adorned with them. Of course, while hanging a horseshoe you need to have the points face up so that the horseshoe can fill up with luck.
Although, I’m pretty sure that’s even more rare than a 4-leaf clover! But there’s nothing wrong with increasing your odds than maybe after seeing a rainbow – go get yourself a couple of scratch off tickets!
We also have the luck of a ladybug. Hmm ...yet another reference to our Lady Luck? It is said that if a ladybug lands on you, your luck will improve. And if a man and a woman see a ladybug at the same time, they’ll fall in love, which is perfect for this month. Seriously, after learning about Cupid’s treacherous past, perhaps we should replace him with a ladybug! On the practical side, many ladybugs in the spring is a good sign to farmers there will be a good harvest. However, not all ladybugs are created equal. Did
Maybe Lady Luck will smile down on your luck of seeing the beautiful rainbow and your appreciation for the beauty of what the rainbow holds. For are we not lucky to be having March coming upon us? Not only having St. Patrick’s Day to help us enjoy the color of green - in anything and everything ...from green beer to Shamrock milkshakes. Spring starts on March 20th, which will start introducing green in our surroundings as well. What other days in March should we feel lucky to have as our National Holidays? March 4th - Sons Day - For the ones of us lucky enough to have sons, this is our day to celebrate them. You try to ROCHESTER WOMAN ONLINE :: FEBRUARY EDITION 2021
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