Are you superstitious? Do you run from black cats?
Then today you are probably home in bed, refusing to even attempt to go out. It’s Friday the 13th!
The fear of Friday the 13th is the most widespread superstition in the world today. Dr. Donald Dossey, a psychologist who specializes in phobias, estimates that there are 21 million Americans who suffer from the fear.
Enough people are afraid of the date that there is even a phobia name for it. Paraskevidekatriaphobia (I’m glad I don’t have to pronounce that)
Here are 10 superstitions that relate to Friday the 13th.
10. If you pass a funeral procession on Friday the 13th, you will die the next day. (This comes from across the pond so blame our British friends)
9. If you cut your hair on Friday the 13th, it results in the death of a family member. (Who knows how this one came about)
8. Ships setting sail on Friday the 13th will encounter disaster. (The deck may have been stacked against her but for the source of this superstition, look up the HMS Friday)
7. Starting a business on Friday will result in a disaster. ( Not just Friday the 13th but all Fridays. Eve tempted Adam on a Friday, the Great Flood was Friday, the Crucifixion took place on a Friday; God tongue-tied those who built the Tower of Babel on a Friday; and the Temple of Solomon was destroyed on a Friday…nuf said
6. If you were born on Friday the 13th, your entire life will be plagued by bad luck. (Now that’s just plain depressing)
5. Consulting an astrologer on Friday the 13th is a very bad idea. (In astrology, there are 12 signs of the zodiac as well as 12 months in a year, which might have given rise to this particular superstition…I guess throwing that 13th day in there messes up the system)
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3. If you change your bed on Friday the 13th, you will have bad dreams all night. ( I don’t even know what to say to this one)
2. Starting a trip on a Friday will bring misfortune. (Perhaps the most famous example of unlucky 13 is the Apollo 13 mission. It was launched at 13.13 hours and was aborted on April 13.)
1. Cutting your nails on Friday the 13th brings you very bad luck. (A very unlucky Friday the 13th occurred in the Middle Ages. Friday the 13th, 1306 was the day that King Philip arrested the Knights Templar, torturing them in a “day of evil”.)
With Friday traditionally considered an unlucky day and the number 13 considered unlucky too, it’s no wonder that the fear of this day is the most widespread superstition alive today. What is more mysterious is why it has more power now than it did 100 years ago. I guess you should avoid walking under a ladder on your way to work!
