Friday 13th
Friday the 13th is often considered by those who believe in superstition to be
a day of bad luck. The fear of Friday the 13th is called
paraskavedekatriaphobia. It is a form of triskaidekaphobia, fear of the number
thirteen.
The origins of the Friday 13th superstition has been linked to the fact there
were 13 people at the last supper of Jesus Christ, who was traditionally
crucified on Good Friday, but it probably originated only in medieval times.
It has also been linked to that fact that a lunisolar calendar must have 13
months in some years, while the solar Gregorian calendar and lunar Islamic
calendar always have 12 months in a year. Another suggestion is that the
belief originated in a Norse myth about twelve gods having a feast in
Valhalla. The mischievous Loki gatecrashed the party as an uninvited 13th
guest and arranged for Hod, the blind god of darkness, to shoot Baldur, the
god of joy and gladness, with a mistletoe-tipped arrow. Baldur was killed and
the Earth was plunged into darkness and mourning as a result.
Some also say that the arrest of Jaques de Molay, Grand Master of the Knights
Templar, and 60 of his senior knights on Friday, October 13, 1307 by King
Philip IV of France is at the origin of this superstition. That day thousands
of Templars were arrested and subsequently tortured. They then 'confessed' and
were executed. From that day on, Friday the 13th was considered by followers
of the Templars as an evil and unlucky day.
Strangely, there is evidence to suggest that Friday the 13th is actually
unlucky for some. Psychologists have found that some people are especially
likely to have accidents or fall ill on Friday 13th. This has been attributed
to such people feeling a heightened state of anxiety on that day. The Stress
Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, North Carolina estimates
that in the United States alone, $800 or $900 million is lost in business each
Friday 13th because people will not travel or go to work.
Source:
Wikipedia.org |
