On a day like today, it wouldn’t be uncommon to be greeted by peers with the expression of ‘pinch punch, first day of the month’.
In fact, on the first day of any month, this phrase is commonly exchanged between people.
According to superstition, saying ‘pinch punch, first day of the month’ is supposed to bring good luck for the next four weeks ahead if said before midday.
But where did this tradition come from?
There are two main theories as to where this phrase originated – the first dating back to medieval times when people believed in the existence of witches.
The ‘pinch’ part refers to the pinching of salt, which was believed to weaken witches when it was thrown at them.
The ‘punch’ part was then to banish the witch once and for all.
The second theory originates from the 1700s and relates to the first US president George Washington when he met local Native American tribes.
He is said to have supplied fruit punch, with an added pinch of salt on the first day of each month, creating the phrase ‘pinch punch on the first of the month’.
So, next time you reach over to your peers to acknowledge them with this well-known phrase on the first day of the month, you have a little bit of background information as to where this old saying came from!
