   Wedding Ring Over a Pregnant BellyA traditional Southern old wives’ tale and pregnancy superstition: a wedding ring is tied to a string and dangled over the expectant mother’s belly.
Hillbilly Dude Says...  People still try this one. My uneducated guess is that it works 50% of the time. Hillbilly Dude Says... People still try this one. My uneducated guess is that it works 50% of the time. OriginThis superstition has been passed down for generations across the South and Appalachia, usually performed by mothers, aunts, or grandmothers. Families swore by it long before ultrasound machines. While versions of the ring test are found in Europe and beyond, Southerners gave it their own spin, weaving it into a larger body of pregnancy folklore-like heartburn predicting a hairy baby or how a mother "carries" revealing gender. NotesEven today, you’ll hear folks say: "Let’s do the ring test and see what it says." For most, it’s just entertainment, but plenty of Southern grannies once believed it worked as well as any doctor’s guess. This old wives’ tale can be a favorite at family gatherings DislaimerWhat you're reading here is old Southern folklore and storytelling - not medical advice, and not meant to guide health, or pregnancy decisions (especially pregnancy decisions!). These tales are part of how folks once made sense of the world, passed down from grandparents and midwives. If you have any medical questions or concerns, talk with a qualified healthcare professional. Learn more on the Folklore hub page. | ...
About Created by The Hillbilly Dude, this site is a growing field guide to culture, speech, memory, and meaning - rooted in Appalachia but reaching across the world. Every slang word, saying, accent and story is gathered from first-hand experience and trusted sources. The goal: preserve authentic voices and share them with writers, learners, and culture lovers everywhere - with a little humor thrown in here and there. Read more... |