Why Is a Cricket a Sign of Good Luck?

Crickets are considered good luck.

Crickets have played a strong role throughout Chinese, Japanese and Native American cultures as a symbol of good fortune, vitality and prosperity. As far back as 500 B.C., people revered the song of the cricket and often kept crickets in cages to enjoy that song on a regular basis. In addition, crickets are valued as watch dogs and as natural clocks for timing a good harvest.

History

Revered by ancient cultures.

Throughout Chinese history, crickets have symbolized wisdom and prosperity to the extent that a 2,000-year period of history is known as the Cricket Culture. Within this time frame, three specific eras celebrated various aspects of the cricket. In the first era (500 B.C. to 618 A.D.), the singing of crickets was revered. During the Tang Dynasty (618 to 906 A.D.), people began to keep crickets in cages in order to appreciate the sounds. From 960 to 1278 A.D., cricket fighting became a popular pastime. Ancient Chinese literature is filled with songs and sayings about crickets and other insects.

Prosperity

Crickets lay hundreds of eggs, which coincides with the traditional Chinese belief that having many children is a symbol of vitality and a requirement for success. In ancient times, farmers would begin preparing fields for spring harvest only after listening to the song of a cricket.

Singing

From nobleman and famous artists to peasant farmers and Buddhist monks, people throughout history have kept caged crickets to enjoy their song. Crickets chirp, or sing, by rubbing their wings together. Only the male cricket sings, often to attract a female or to fend off another male cricket. If you count the number of chirps in 15 seconds and add 37, you can determine the outdoor temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.

Protection

Crickets appear on ancient amulets.

For generations throughout Chinese and Japanese history, crickets have been considered great protection because they stop singing when anyone or anything approaches. Middle Eastern and European craftsman commonly carved amulets and charms bearing images of crickets to fend off evil spirits. American colonial builders added a copper cricket to the weather vane on Boston's Fanuel Hall as a symbol of protection.

Native American Totem

The cricket totem is powerful.

Crickets are considered good luck by most Native American tribes. Cricket wisdom is said to represent joy, intuition, power of belief. A cricket's ability to jump is said to offer the power to leap over a difficult situation. With the cricket as your totem, you can travel through darkness with sound.

References

• Good Luck Creations: Animals Symbolizing Good Luck
• What's-Your-Sign.com: Animals as Good Luck Symbols
• Asian Art Mall: Chinese Cricket Cages
• Animal Teachers: Cricket: Happiness
• BugBios: Chinese Cricket Culture
• The Library of Congress: Can You Tell The Temperature By Listening to The Chirping of a Cricket?

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish