Salutations

[rabidsamfan]

Happy Birthday gentlehobbit. Although I'm not sure if I've got the date right, since you are on the far side of the world from me. Believe it or not, I had a child in looking for firefly books last Friday, and I told them about the custom you mentioned to us. She thought it must be the same as "Ladybug, Ladybug" is for Americans. We ended up in a serious colloquy over the interesting conversations you can have with bugs.

And a greeting to eykar too! Now that you've started posting drabbles and ficlets on your journal I have befriended you so I won't miss any more of them! And yes, it's addictive. You'll seeeeee.

Comments

[gentlehobbit.livejournal.com]

Thank you, RabidSamFan! And what a wonderful anecdote -- thank you for telling me about it!

It's interesting - Ladybug (I think) is the word in North America, and Ladybird is used in England. And there's the little chant that I as a child would say to any ladybird I found:

Ladybird, Ladybird,
Fly away home!
Your house is on fire,
And your children are all gone.

It is a rather grim song, I think, but I always enjoyed singing it to any ladybird that landed on my hand... Perhaps that is the same song/chant that you referred to...?

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

A variant on it, yes.

Ladybug, Ladybug,
Fly away home,
Your house is on fire
and your children will burn.

is the way I learned it.