DoF R I D A Y T H E 1 3 TH : FACTS AND LEGENDS
AN ARTICLE BY JOHN BOYD .
Paraskevidekatriaphobia : (v) Fear of Friday the 13th.
What is it about the number 13 being combined with Friday that strikes fear in
people ? Is it the number itself, or is it the ominous history it holds ? It's not
about a goalie - masked psycho running around a campground , the historical facts are even scarier than anything that Hollywood can dream up.
Thirteen was a significant number even before Christianity gave it a bad rap.
It was well regarded by the ancient Egyptians , who believed there were 12 steps
on a ladder to eternal life and knowledge ; to take the 13th step meant going
through death and stepping over to everlasting life . But by Roman times it had
become an ill - omened number of destruction and death . The event that started
it all was the Last Supper. There were 12 apostles and Jesus seated at the table ,
the 13th member to arrive was Judas Iscariot , the apostle who betrayed Jesus.
Since that event the superstition circled that if 13 people sit at a table , one
of the diners will die within a year . Norse mythology relates the story of a gods'
feast to which 12 came , only for Loki , god of mischief and disorder , to gatecrash
the event . True to the myth , one of the gods died during the dinner.
Even today , 13 is still avoided at all costs by many people . Most major hotel
chains have no room 13 , and most high - rise buildings have no thirteenth floor .
Although , floor thirteen and the number itself has taken center stage in plenty
of supernatural tales ! The number was adopted by Wiccans , there are 13 witches
in a coven . One of the most famous 13s of modern times was the ill - fated Apollo
13 space mission . On April 13 , 1970 the ships oxygen tank exploded , almost killing
the three astronauts. If you have 13 letters in your name , you will have the
Devil 's luck. Some of historys most notorious serial killers have 13 letters in their names ; Jack the Ripper , Charles Manson , Jeffrey Dahmer , Theodore Bundy,
and Albert DeSalvo to name a few.
The thirteenth day of the month is a bad day to start a new venture, whether it is a journey , a new job or a wedding . The exception to the rule is a child that is born on the 13th of the month , will throughout life , enjoy good luck in
any new ventures begun on the thirteenth . In particular , Friday the 13th is dreaded so much that many people don't even leave their house . Research has shown there are fewer cars on the road than any other Friday of the year , yet
there are more serious car crashes on Friday the 13th .
Friday was traditionally regarded as a day when any bad event would take place . " Now Friday came , Your old wives say
Of all the week's , The unluckiest day . "
Criminals would be reluctant to choose a Friday to commit their crime , as it was
sure to fail and they would be arrested . Friday sentencing was thought to be harsher than on any other day of the week , and it was also known as Hangman 's Day because executions were usually held then . In fact , anyone taking a court case that day was likely to lose.
It was a bad day to start a relationship . Singing on a Friday will bring tears on a Sunday and rain on a Friday foretells good weather the following Sunday. A
baby born on a Friday might have a Bible laid in its crib to ward off evil , although in some places Friday was thought a good day to be born . the Church
calendar , with its encouragement of abstinence and eating fish on Friday , added
to the general Friday - inspired gloom . The Bible states that Friday was the day
that Eve tempted Adam with the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden . The Great Flood in the story of Noah 's Ark started on a Friday . God tongue - tied the builders of the Tower of Babel , The Temple of Solomon was destroyed and Christ was crucified on a Friday . The Vatican dispatched an army who killed the
Knights Templar on Friday the 13th now seen as the most unluckiest of days .
Sailors say that a ship that sets out on a Friday will have bad luck . The British Government sought out to quell the superstition once and for all . A ship
was commissioned , named " H . M . S . Friday " . They laid her keel , selected the crew , and launched her on a Friday . They name of the captain was Jim Friday . To top it off , the ship embarked on her maiden voyage on a Friday , and was never seen or heard from again . The contradiction to this superstition was
Christopher Columbus - he not only set sail on a Friday , he also saw the New World for the first time on a Friday .
In conclusion , as with most superstitions we are a product of our upbringing .
we are told from a very young age that Friday the 13th is a bad day . From that time on we look for evidence to support the myth . If you get in a car accident , or a relative dies , or you lose something the event will resonate in your Psyche for a long time . Truth be told , bad things happen all the time and we don't attach the stigma to it that we do on Friday the 13 , and if you are looking for something bad to happen on that day . . . . it probably will ! !
AN ARTICLE BY JOHN BOYD .
Paraskevidekatriaphobia : (v) Fear of Friday the 13th.
What is it about the number 13 being combined with Friday that strikes fear in
people ? Is it the number itself, or is it the ominous history it holds ? It's not
about a goalie - masked psycho running around a campground , the historical facts are even scarier than anything that Hollywood can dream up.
Thirteen was a significant number even before Christianity gave it a bad rap.
It was well regarded by the ancient Egyptians , who believed there were 12 steps
on a ladder to eternal life and knowledge ; to take the 13th step meant going
through death and stepping over to everlasting life . But by Roman times it had
become an ill - omened number of destruction and death . The event that started
it all was the Last Supper. There were 12 apostles and Jesus seated at the table ,
the 13th member to arrive was Judas Iscariot , the apostle who betrayed Jesus.
Since that event the superstition circled that if 13 people sit at a table , one
of the diners will die within a year . Norse mythology relates the story of a gods'
feast to which 12 came , only for Loki , god of mischief and disorder , to gatecrash
the event . True to the myth , one of the gods died during the dinner.
Even today , 13 is still avoided at all costs by many people . Most major hotel
chains have no room 13 , and most high - rise buildings have no thirteenth floor .
Although , floor thirteen and the number itself has taken center stage in plenty
of supernatural tales ! The number was adopted by Wiccans , there are 13 witches
in a coven . One of the most famous 13s of modern times was the ill - fated Apollo
13 space mission . On April 13 , 1970 the ships oxygen tank exploded , almost killing
the three astronauts. If you have 13 letters in your name , you will have the
Devil 's luck. Some of historys most notorious serial killers have 13 letters in their names ; Jack the Ripper , Charles Manson , Jeffrey Dahmer , Theodore Bundy,
and Albert DeSalvo to name a few.
The thirteenth day of the month is a bad day to start a new venture, whether it is a journey , a new job or a wedding . The exception to the rule is a child that is born on the 13th of the month , will throughout life , enjoy good luck in
any new ventures begun on the thirteenth . In particular , Friday the 13th is dreaded so much that many people don't even leave their house . Research has shown there are fewer cars on the road than any other Friday of the year , yet
there are more serious car crashes on Friday the 13th .
Friday was traditionally regarded as a day when any bad event would take place . " Now Friday came , Your old wives say
Of all the week's , The unluckiest day . "
Criminals would be reluctant to choose a Friday to commit their crime , as it was
sure to fail and they would be arrested . Friday sentencing was thought to be harsher than on any other day of the week , and it was also known as Hangman 's Day because executions were usually held then . In fact , anyone taking a court case that day was likely to lose.
It was a bad day to start a relationship . Singing on a Friday will bring tears on a Sunday and rain on a Friday foretells good weather the following Sunday. A
baby born on a Friday might have a Bible laid in its crib to ward off evil , although in some places Friday was thought a good day to be born . the Church
calendar , with its encouragement of abstinence and eating fish on Friday , added
to the general Friday - inspired gloom . The Bible states that Friday was the day
that Eve tempted Adam with the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden . The Great Flood in the story of Noah 's Ark started on a Friday . God tongue - tied the builders of the Tower of Babel , The Temple of Solomon was destroyed and Christ was crucified on a Friday . The Vatican dispatched an army who killed the
Knights Templar on Friday the 13th now seen as the most unluckiest of days .
Sailors say that a ship that sets out on a Friday will have bad luck . The British Government sought out to quell the superstition once and for all . A ship
was commissioned , named " H . M . S . Friday " . They laid her keel , selected the crew , and launched her on a Friday . They name of the captain was Jim Friday . To top it off , the ship embarked on her maiden voyage on a Friday , and was never seen or heard from again . The contradiction to this superstition was
Christopher Columbus - he not only set sail on a Friday , he also saw the New World for the first time on a Friday .
In conclusion , as with most superstitions we are a product of our upbringing .
we are told from a very young age that Friday the 13th is a bad day . From that time on we look for evidence to support the myth . If you get in a car accident , or a relative dies , or you lose something the event will resonate in your Psyche for a long time . Truth be told , bad things happen all the time and we don't attach the stigma to it that we do on Friday the 13 , and if you are looking for something bad to happen on that day . . . . it probably will ! !
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