Friday, November 13, 2009

Friday the 13th

by Robert L. Gisel




 Friday the 13th is embroiled in superstition, mystic lore. Once considered lucky how did the date become a symbol of bad luck?


 Gargoyles on a building, in the traditions of European Architecture, should be 13 in number to bring good luck to the property and inhabitants. The 13 original American colonies won and the 1st American Flag displayed 13 stripes and 13 stars to celebrate the number.


 On the reverse side, two phobias are named for this: paraskevidekatriaphobia, the fear of Friday the 13th, and triskaidekaphobia, meaning literally, the fear of 13.


 From the article "13 Facts About Friday the 13th":


 12. The number 13 suffers from its position after 12, according to numerologists who consider the latter to be 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.

 13. 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. So far there's been no evidence tying these long-ago design decisions to the present economic situation.

Origins of Friday the 13th
Where's all this superstition come from? Nobody knows for sure. But it may date back to Biblical times (the 13th guest at the Last Supper betrayed Jesus). By the Middle Ages, both Friday and 13 were considered bearers of bad fortune."

 Another speculation is that when the Knights Templar were purged by the Roman Catholic Church it was a Friday the 13th in the year 1307, thus becoming a day of fear fueling superstitions.

 Don't forget as well, there's Chapter 13, for Bankruptcy.

 Have you any other coincidences of 13 to add to the lore?


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