This coming Friday, November 13th, will be the third (and last) Friday the 13th of this year. (The two previous Friday the 13th days were in February and March.)
Many people harbor a fear of Friday the 13th, with the two most well-known types of fear:
-triskaidekaphobia: a fear of the number 13, from the Greek tris meaning “3,” kai meaning “and,” and deka meaning “10”)
The stall numbers at the Santa Anita Park. Note that the numbers progress from 12 to 12A to 14.
An elevator in a residential apartment building in Shanghai. Floor numbers 4, 13 and 14 are missing, and there is a button for the “negative first floor.”
(Photos courtesy of wikipedia.)
-paraskevidekatriaphobia or friggatriskaidekaphobia: fear of the day, Friday the 13th; derived from the concatenation of the Greek words Paraskeví (Παρασκευή) (meaning Friday), and dekatreís (δεκατρείς) (meaning thirteen), attached to phobía (φοβία) (meaning fear).
Many people consider the day a dangerous day, others consider the fear of the 13th as irrational as to border on illogical to let a day curtail their daily activities, and many others (especially those who love the “Friday the 13TH – Jason” movies) consider it as the perfect day for a horror movie release. (The 2009 film “2012” is set to be released on Friday November 13 2009.)
Throughout history, fears of Friday the 13th and the number 13 have left major impacts across time:
The first person to die in a car accident was killed in New York City on Sept. 13, 1899.
The British Navy is notoriously afraid of Friday the 13th. Nonetheless, it built a ship named Friday the 13th. On its maiden voyage, the vessel left dock on a Friday the 13th and was never heard from again.
The ill-fated Apollo 13 launched at 13:13 CST on 4/11/70. The sum of the date’s digits is 13. The explosion that crippled the spacecraft occurred on April 13th.
Many hospitals have no room 13. Some tall buildings have no 13th floor. The numbers on the rooms and elevators jump from 12 to 14.
Quarterback Dan Marino wore No. 13 throughout his career with the Miami Dolphins. Marino is said to be the best quarterback who never won a Super Bowl.
Butch Cassidy was born on Friday, April 13, 1866.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt would not travel on the 13th day of any month and would never host 13 guests at a meal.
Superstitious diners in Paris can hire a quatorzieme, or professional 14th guest.
Woodrow Wilson considered 13 his lucky number. He was the first president to leave the country during his term. He arrived in Normandy, Francem on Friday, Dec. 13, 1918. He returned from Europe with a treaty he couldn’t get Congress to sign. He toured the U.S. to rally support for the treaty, and while traveling, suffered a near fatal stroke. (Maybe 13 wasn’t his lucky number after all!)
13 suffers from its position after 12, which numerologists consider a complete number — 12 months in a year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 tribes of Israel,12 apostles of Jesus, 12 days of Christmas and 12 eggs in a dozen.
Mark Twain once was the 13th guest at a dinner party. A friend warned him not to go. “It was bad luck,” Twain later told the friend, “they only had food for 12.”
The seals on the back of a dollar bill include 13 steps on the pyramid, 13 stars above the eagle’s head, 13 war arrows in the eagle’s claw and 13 leaves on the olive branch.
Fidel Castro was born on Friday, Aug. 13, 1926.
Facts courtesy of Thomas Fernsler
(From, “13 facts About 13”, by Thomas Fernsler, aka Dr. 13.)
One of the most well-known fears of the number 13 concerns Jesus Christ, Judas Iscariot, and the Last Supper. Because Judas is considered to have been the 13th person at supper, and was Jesus’s betrayer, makes this one of the more enduring spiritual beliefs among Christians, in relation to Friday the 13th and the number 13. It is even believed that the Christ was executed on a Friday the 13th.
Friday the 13th is also considered an unlucky day to undertake a journey or to begin new projects.
Some people consider the number 13 to be a good and auspicious number. On the other hand, to Romanian, Greek and Latino cultures, Tuesday the 13th is considered unlucky.
Greece:
Tuesday is considered, by many Greeks, to be the unluckiest day of the week. It was on Tuesday, May 29th, 1453 that the city of Constantinople was besieged and taken by the Ottoman Turks. The loss of life was tremendous.
On the otherhand, Greeks consider the number 13 (on its own) to be good luck. Reasons for this vary, including the belief that having 12 apostles of Christ made Christ the 13th of the group. The ancient philosophy of Numerology considers 13 to be “the most selfless of all” and “love for the world revolves around” thirteen.
However, the combination of Tuesday and 13 as Tuesday the 13th of the month is considered a very unlucky day in Greek culture.
Mexico, Spain and Latin America:
-Spanish- speaking cultures fear “Martes Trece”, Tuesday the 13th. It’s bad luck to have a wedding or board a ship on a Tuesday.
“Martes” comes from the word Mars, the Roman god of war. And war is widely considered a bad or unlucky thing to happen to a person.
The Celts, on the other hand, considered the number 13 to be of good fortune and luck for a person.
SOURCES:
http://www.greekspider.com/superstitions/greek_superstitions3.htm
http://www.greekspider.com/superstitions/greek_superstitions4.htm
Among Sikhs, lucky 13 is considered a special number.
Well, I have my own reasons for having quite an affinity for Friday the 13th. I have been waiting a long time for the 13th to fall on a Friday in November.
And why is that?
It is because Friday , November the 13th, is my day of birth.
(The last time the 13th fell on a Friday three times in a year, and on a Friday in November, was in 1998.)
So, when Friday the 13th rolls around, I will have a great and spectacular birthday.
Just please don’t wake me for Saturday the 14th.
That is one day I would sooner not have to tangle with the next day.
Ann
