The Dread of Friday the 13th

Lore has always labeled a Friday that occurs on the 13th day of any month as a day of misfortune.

In every year there is at least one "Friday the 13th" for us to worry about. 2009 is one of those years that has the maximum scare value with an occurrence of three unlucky Fridays in the months of February, March, and November.

No one actually knows how the "Friday the 13th" superstition came to be. But, obviously, the number 13 has always been an unlucky number. The unluckiness of 13 generally comes from the practice of Astrology where there are only 12 signs of the Zodiac. You might think of the number 13 as being one step beyond or outside the prophetical properties of the twelve signs. And, therefore, 13 is seen as an "anything can happen" number. It lacks the completeness and predictability that is comfortably contained within the number 12.

Throughout history, the number 12 has always been considered a "good" number. We have 12 months. We buy eggs and other items by the dozen. The Greeks had only 12 gods of Mount Olympus. Christ had only 12 Apostles. There were only 12 tribes of Israel. In the Shia sect of Islam, there are 12 Imams. In Norse lore, the god Odin had twelve sons. And, the occurrence of number 12 goes on and on throughout written history and lore.

Many believe that the unluckiness of 13 comes from the Last Supper where 13 were seated at that dinner; the 12 apostles and Christ. From that point forward, Christ was doomed to be crucified. If only Judas had had league bowling that night and couldn't make it to dinner, just think of how different history might have been!

The fact that Friday the 13th is an unlucky day as compared to, say, Thursday the 13th, probably stems from the fact that Friday is considered the traditional end of the work week. This stems from the fact that, in Judaism. the Sabbath is considered to be Saturday; starting at dusk on Friday. Consequently, to end a week on an unlucky number is considered to be an ominous event.

It is estimated that some 25 million people in this country seriously fear "Friday the 13th" and are overly cautious on this day. Maybe, that is why "Friday the 13th" is one of the statistically safest Fridays in any given year (See Full Story).

So, if you're a superstitious person, stay home and ball yourself up in a fetal position and don't move. Close your eyes and don't even peek.

If you feel like this day is no different than any other, then just live it like any other Friday.

If you really want to push the silliness of the superstition, then do it up right. Walk under a ladder. Break a mirror. Spill some salt. Mount a horseshoe upside down on your wall. Open up an umbrella in your living room. Find a black cat to walk in front of you. And, open your window and hope that a black bird lands on the sill.

Anyway, have a nice day. You know, T.G.I.F. at all that. Hopefully!?!

Image by kire's photostream on Flickr with Creative Commons Licensing. Some rights retained. (Click to View Other Works).