Snow-day rituals: Inside-out pjs, spoons under pillows?

It is that time of year when school kids start thinking of snow days.

And with flurries in the forecast, and other parts of the country getting hammered, there are bound to be a few who will go to bed tonight with their pajamas inside out and a spoon under their pillows, hoping they will awaken to a winter wonderland.

This is what is called a snow-day ritual.

Others include throwing ice cubes down a toilet or out a window.

Evidence is only anecdotal, but since hope is the currency of childhood they are not lacking adherants.

"My sister swore by this many moons ago when she was in school," reads a comment on the pj-spoon superstition at answerbag.com. "My kids have tried it twice and it worked both times - however their school closes if the wind blows or the sun shines too brightly."

Another comment suggested this could be a cure for global warming.

Answers.com suggested the practice dates back to the Pilgrims.

The procedure seems to be followed all over the East Coast, Connecticut teacher Mark Dursin told NPR a couple of years ago.

"Some people eat an oatmeal cookie before they put their pajamas inside-out," he said. "Some people lick the spoon before they put it under the pillow but that just seemed strange."

Don't try it in May, students say. "You can only doing it when they are actually predicting snow," Dursin said.

Are any of these rituals followed in your house? Do you know of others? Do you know the origins of them? How successful have they been?

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