Friday the 13th Phobia: There are lots of speculations and superstitious
beliefs about the date 13, globally. Many consider
the number 13 and Friday, the 6th day of the
week, to bring bad luck. Bring both together and
WHAM - you have double-powered bad-luck
served on a platter! Though many believe it to be an unlucky day, there are many groups who defy
such thoughts and superstitions. Some activities
like cutting your hair or nails, shifting to a new
house, commencing a new venture, purchasing a
new vehicle, etc. are avoided by many on Fridays
or on the 13th day of the month. It may surprise you to know that some people even avoid
traveling on Fridays or the 13th day of any
month! There are many stories and myths
attached with this date. Do the terms triskaidekaphobia and
paraskevidekatriaphobia mean anything to you?
Have you come across these terms? Triskaidekaphobia means fear of the number
13. Paraskevidekatriaphobia is the fear of Friday
the 13th. Dr. Donald Dossey, an American psychotherapist,
coined these terms. There are many people who
are treated for these phobias. It is believed that
some people would completely cancel or
postpone their daily activities if they happen to
fall on a Friday-the-13th date and reschedule important business meetings and travel plans to
another day. A loss of millions of dollars is
recorded on this day. This day, for many, is to laze
around within the premises of one's home
because of the fear of bad luck striking them if
they did venture out. Psychotherapists are of the opinion that people
who are insecure are the ones who are
superstitious enough to believe that the 13th that
falls on a Friday is an unlucky day. However, it is
the belief and the superstitions instilled in
childhood that control a person's faith. Legends of Friday the 13th There are many legends with regards to the
ominous number 13 and why Friday was
considered to be an unlucky day. Ancient
Egyptians considered the number 13 as symbol
of death. Remember, ancient Egyptians believed
in life after death? There are many folklores connected with this superstition. The story given
below will give you an idea why people consider
the number 13 as a sinister number during the
Medieval Age. According to the Norse myths, once upon a time
at Valhalla, the heaven of the Norse Gods, Gods
were invited for a party by Balder - the God of Joy
and Gladness. There were 12 Norse Gods,
including Balder, partying. When the party was in
full swing the God of Mischief Loki walked in. He was the uninvited 13th god. He showed his anger
by arranging Hoder, the blind God of Darkness to
kill Balder with a poisonous mistletoe arrow. It is
believed that the Earth plunged into darkness
and evil took over the reign. This could be one of
the reasons why some people consider number 13 to be ominous and unlucky. Friday is also considered to be unlucky by the
believers of Christianity. Some believe Jesus Christ
was crucified on this day. There is also another
belief that Friday was the day that Eve tempted
Adam to eat the forbidden fruit in the Garden of
Eden. Christians around the world believe that number 13 brings ill luck because there were 13
people at "The Last Supper" (also known as
known as the Lord's supper was the last meal
Jesus had with his 12 Apostles). Another
significant reason is that it was on Friday the 13th
that Cain was slain by Abel. According to the old testament of the bible, it was on a Friday that God
tongue-tied the builders of the Tower of Babel; it
is also believed that the Great flood of the Greek
myth in which Noah is the hero, began on a
Friday and the Temple of Solomon was
demolished on a Friday. The above-mentioned facts and myths are more than enough to believe
Friday coupled with 13th date of a month
unleashes evil and brings ill luck. Friday the 13th - Historical Facts Historical records say that Jacques de Molay
Grand Master of the Templars was arrested on
October 13th, 1307 AD - a Friday. Eventually he
was executed in 1314 AD. Hence, Friday the 13th,
is considered to be an unlucky day in Europe. These superstitions have been passed over from
one generation to another. Hence, even today,
many do not dare to venture outside their house,
travel and launch new business. They prefer to
bear the losses than be a victim of ill luck. The
dates for traditional weddings are usually not set on this day, though with the emergence and
stronghold of the Goth subculture, a lot of Gothic
weddings are, sometimes, scheduled on the 13th,
just for the ominous effect. This day is known as
the devil's day. This day symbolizes death and is
considered to be unlucky. To sum up, the luck and ill-luck solely depends
on the beliefs that were inculcated in a person
during his growing up days. Even if this date does
not actually BRING ill luck, there's no denying the
fact that a surprisingly large number of
unfortunate events took place on this day, as presented by the aforementioned historical and
mythological facts! Hollywood also did its share in
driving the ill-luck superstition deeper into the
public psyche with the Friday the 13th movie
franchise in which the lead antagonist, Jason
Voorhes, a psychotic serial murderer, is mentioned as having been born on this ominous
date.
Source: Buzzle
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