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Factoids
triskaidekaphobia = fear of the number 13
paraskevidekatriaphobia = fear of
Friday the 13th
The probability of being born on
Friday the 13th is 1/214 -- which means that over the long
run, 1 in 214 people will be born on a Friday the 13th.
Every year has at least one Friday the 13th. No year has had (or
will have) more than three Friday the 13ths.
Many biblical events of negative
import supposedly occurred on a Friday, including the ejection of
Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, the start of the Great
Flood, and the crucifixion of Jesus.
If you have 13
letters in your name, you will have the devil's luck (Jack the
Ripper, Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, Theodore Bundy and Albert
De Salvo all have 13 letters in their names).
It's said that fears surrounding the number 13
are as old as the act of counting. Primitive man had only his 10
fingers and two feet to represent units, so he could not count
higher than 12. What lay beyond that – "13" – was an impenetrable,
frightening mystery, thus a source of superstition.
Which has a lovely ring to it, but one is left
wondering: Did primitive man not have toes?
The number 13 has two major, ancient
marks against it. One, rooted in pre-Christian, Scandinavian myth,
has 12 gods coming together at Valhalla, the home of the god Odin.
But Loki, the god of evil and turmoil, showed up uninvited as the
13th guest. Attempting to get rid of him, the beloved god Balder
was killed.
The myth spread through Europe and
into Christianity, buttressed by the fact that 13 people dined at
Jesus' last supper.
Friday and 13 were linked when the
day derived its name from the Norse goddess gga, mother of
Balder. With Christianity's spread, Frigga was marked a witch and
said to be banished to a mountaintop. There, she got her revenge
by gathering each Friday with 11 other witches plus Satan to make
life miserable for those who had wronged her.
The 13th floor in some buildings is
labeled "14." Hotel rooms that should be No. 13 may be called 12A.
Italy omits the number 13 from its
national lottery.
The 13th day of the month is
considered by many a bad day to start something new, especially
marriage.
Hindus believed that it was
unlucky for 13 people to gather in one place.
Many people
alter travel plans to avoid flying on the 13th, in particular when
it falls on a Friday.
It is
estimated that the 13th of the month costs America a billion
dollars a year through train and plane reservation cancellation,
absenteeism, and reduced commerce.
Many people
avoid elective surgery on Friday the 13th. When I was one week
overdue with my son, on Thursday the 12th, the obstetrician told
me he would induce labor on Monday the 16th, because no one ever
wanted to be induced on Friday the 13th (I did).
According to the Bible, Eve gave the apple to Adam on Friday, the
great flood began on a Friday, the Temple of Solomon was destroyed
on a Friday, execution day was Friday in Rome, and Good Friday
exists because it is the reported day of Jesus' crucifixion.
The ill-fated Apollo 13 space
mission left the launch pad 13 minutes after the hour on April 13,
1970 (not a Friday).
According to one belief, if 13
people sit down at a table to eat, one will die before the year
ends. No doubt, that's why a company in France reportedly will
provide emergency guests so that 13 people never sit at the same
table.
A company providing computer virus
detection services notes on its Web site that a lot of virus
writers make Friday the 13th their trigger date. In addition, some
200 viruses are programmed to cause severe damage on Friday the
13th.
Many cultures have long considered
Friday an unlucky day. For one, it was the day of Jesus' death. In
some places, Friday was "hangman's day," the day on which
criminals were executed.
Among fearful Friday beliefs:
- A ship that sails on Friday
will have bad luck.
- A bed changed on Friday will
bring bad dreams.
- It's unlucky to begin making a
garment on Friday unless you finish it the same day.
By the way, Abraham Lincoln was
assassinated on a Friday -- the 14th. |
