So today it is Friday the 13th, which is considered by certain people as day of bad luck and misfortune. I am not superstitious at all, but I cannot admit that I have an interest in this kind of things. So I did some investigation after Friday the 13th.
First thing to discover is not all country/cultures around the world see Friday the 13th as a day of bad luck. In Greece, Spain and Latin America Tuesday the 13th is considered a day to be very careful, while in Italy it is Friday the 17th.
The fear for the number 13 has even an official name: “Triskaidekaphobia”. And if the only really comes down to Friday the 13th it is called “Paraskevidekatriaphobia” or “Friggatriskaidekaphobia”.
One might think that in these “modern” and “enlightened” times people seem to have grown above the fears of this day. Well, it seems not. Stock markets have a bad day as people don’t want to invest on Friday the 13th and this may lead to complete other negative effects. People don’t to fly on this day or even go out for dinner (which means loses for companies). Yes, there are even people who will not leave their house. So yes, the fear is real.
It already starts with the number 13. So many buildings don’t have a 13th floor or restaurants that don’t have a table numbered 13. On our holiday to Greece last year we saw how on request of some guests from England the number of studio 13 was changed to 134 (Thank you Rob for allowing me to use that photo).
So the number 13 is already bad enough, but being Friday the 13th makes it even really worse.
But lets see, where does the fear for Friday the 13th comes from.
Well, one of the explanations is that Jesus was crucified on a Friday the 13th. It was normal for the Romans to do their executions on Fridays. Maybe this gave Fridays a bad name. Maybe even more because also in England executions were done on Fridays.
Or maybe it was because on Friday, 13 October 1307, Philip IV of France gave order to arrest hundreds of the Knights Templar and had them executed.
It is also said that Friday the 13th is derived from a Norwegian saga where the evil god Loki as uninvited thirteenth guest at a party pushes the earth into a deep mourning.
And of course on Friday the 13th witches and alike would gather.
This is all very nice, but recent research has shown that the superstition about Friday the 13th is not that old. In the 17th century it was for first time written down that Friday was a day for bad luck. That the 13th would make the Friday a real bad day was added much later. It was 3 April 1896 that for the first time Friday the 13th was mentioned in a Dutch newpaper.
Of course Friday the 13th was also a very good subject for horror books and movies.
- Some “facts” about 13 and Friday the 13th:
- Every month that starts on a Sunday has a Friday the 13th!
- The longest period that can occur without a Friday The 13th is 14 months, either from July through September of the following normal year or from August through October of the following leap year!”
- There can not be more than 3 Fridays the 13th in a year, but every years has at least one!
- President Franklin Delano Roosevelt would never host a dinner party with 13 guests in attendance and refused to travel on the 13th day of any month!
- Cuban leader Fidel Castro was born on Friday, 13 August 1926, while outlaw Butch Cassidy was born on Friday 13 April 1866!
- Exactly 200 characters have been killed in the 12 Friday the 13th films.
Anyway you better be very careful today, stay away from that black cat, don’t drop a mirror, do not waste any salt and you will be all right 🙂
(Credit foto: Rob)
Very nice article, Marissa. Loved the little list with facts about Friday the 13th!
Well written and interesting, Maris.
And yes, people fear over here the Tuesday (I don’t btw :-))