Turning Your Money at the New Moon: A British Luck Custom

Across Britain and Ireland, people once greeted the first thin crescent of the new Moon by turning over the money in their pocket, bowing to the Moon and making a wish, in the belief that their money would increase as the Moon grew. Folklorists recorded the custom in every region from the eighteenth century to the twentieth, and many people still do it half in jest. It is one of the simplest prosperity charms in the European tradition, resting on the ancient idea that what is begun or touched under a waxing Moon will grow.

How to do it§

1. Watch for the crescent. A day or two after the astronomical new moon, look west just after sunset for the first sliver of the Moon. The moon phase calendar shows when it will be visible.
2. See it in the open air. Go outside rather than looking through a window. Tradition holds that seeing the new Moon first through glass is unlucky; some versions add that you should not see it over your left shoulder or through the branches of a tree.
3. Turn the coin. As soon as you see it, put your hand in your pocket and turn your coin over, or turn every coin in your purse. Silver was preferred, and in some accounts a person with no money in their pocket at the first sight of the new Moon could expect a poor month.
4. Bow and wish. Many versions add a bow or curtsey to the Moon, sometimes repeated three or nine times, and a silent wish. Some people recited a rhyme greeting the new Moon and asking for a gift before the month was out; you may make up your own simple greeting.
5. Keep the coin. Leave the coin in your purse for the rest of the lunar month as a "luck piece" and do not spend it until the next new Moon.

Origins and history§

The idea that the Moon governs growth and increase is ancient and widespread. Roman agricultural writers advised planting certain crops while the Moon waxed, and Pliny the Elder's Natural History gathers many beliefs about the Moon's influence on living things. Medieval and early modern almanacs gave advice on what to do in each phase, and the principle of "sympathy" behind the coin custom is straightforward: as the Moon grows, so should the money touched at its appearance. James George Frazer, in The Golden Bough (1890 and later editions), collected customs of showing money or turning it at the new Moon in several countries as examples of what he called homoeopathic or imitative magic.

In Britain the custom is well documented. The folklore collections of the nineteenth century, such as those of the Folklore Society, and many local studies record people turning their money, bowing to the new Moon and wishing; the details vary from county to county. Iona Opie and Moira Tatem's Dictionary of Superstitions (1989) gathers dated references, from the eighteenth century onwards, for the beliefs about turning money, seeing the new Moon through glass and bowing to it. Steve Roud, in his Penguin Guide to the Superstitions of Britain and Ireland (2003), notes how persistent the custom remained in the twentieth century, when surveys still found many people who would turn a coin "for luck" while admitting they did not believe in it.

Similar customs are known elsewhere in Europe, including shaking a purse at the new Moon and showing it silver. The crescent appears in many cultures as a sign of renewal: in Islam and Judaism the sighting of the new crescent begins the month, and Jewish tradition recites a blessing of the Moon (Kiddush Levanah) in its first half, though with a theological rather than monetary meaning.

Variations§

Some people keep a single "Moon coin" for this purpose alone. In parts of England the custom was to kiss the hand to the Moon, or to say "Good evening, Lady Moon". Gamblers and fishermen were among its most faithful observers. A modern version combines the custom with a written monthly intention or with putting a coin into a savings jar each new Moon.

Safety and good sense§

The only hazard here is watching the sky rather than the ground: choose a safe, well-lit spot and do not look for the crescent near the setting Sun through binoculars. Folklore of this kind is part of a culture's sense of play and hope. It is not a substitute for budgeting or for financial advice when money is tight.

Sources and further reading§

• A Dictionary of Superstitions — Iona Opie and Moira Tatem, 1989
• The Penguin Guide to the Superstitions of Britain and Ireland — Steve Roud, 2003
• The Golden Bough — James George Frazer, 1890
• The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain — Ronald Hutton, 1996
• Popular Magic: Cunning-Folk in English History — Owen Davies, 2003