June 13, 2008
Margo blogs on Friday the 13th
Written by Margo Maguire in Jaunty PostIf you’re irrationally afraid of Friday the 13th, you’re a paraskevidekatriaphobic. So … how about it. Are there any paraskevidekatriaphobics here? And why are you bothered by Friday the 13th?
Consider: Hotels rarely have a room 13. Some buildings omit the 13th floor and go right on to the 14th. There are those who believe you should not sit 13 at the table for a meal. And how about this: there are 13 letters in each of the following names … Jack the Ripper, Jeffrey Dahmer, Theodore Bundy and Albert de Salvo. Quite a coincidence.
Christian tradition has a few beefs with the day Friday as well as the number 13 - the number of attendees of the Last Supper. And supposedly, the Knights Templar were routed and their holdings raided on Friday the 13th. The story goes that Eve handed Adam the apple on a Friday, the great flood began on a Friday, and the Babylonians lost their ability to communicate with each other on a Friday. I don’t know how people know this, but hey. Superstition isn’t really rational, is it?
So - bearing in mind that there is only one Friday 13th in 2008 - what superstitions will you observe today?
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Emily McKay Says:
I do *think* I’ll be superstitious today. But I have a book due on Monday. If I don’t make a lot of progress today, I may have to call my editor on Monday and ask for a few more days. If that happens, I’m blaming Friday the 13th.
Shana Says:
I’m not superstitious at all. I think it’s just those slasher movies that make people afraid of Friday the 13th. But would you believe that Friday the 13th has now spawned greeting cards? I was just looking for an e-card to send and saw they have about a dozen (maybe even 13!) Friday the 13th cards. Weird.
Margo Maguire Says:
I’m not really superstitious, either. Except for one thing … Sometimes when I’m hoping for something, or watching a Red Wing game - I think “Don’t wish too much for this or you’ll jinx it!” Not that it’s ever made a difference.
RobynDeHart Says:
The Professor claims I’m superstitious because of all those crazy sayings I was mentioning my Momo passed on to me. Like if you give someone a knife they have to give you a penny or it will cut your friendship. Or if your left hand itches you’re going to get some money, but if your right hand itches you’re going to meet someone new. And I could go on and on. But I wouldn’t say I’m actually superstitious. That being said, I’ve knocked on wood more than a few times.
Dorothy Says:
I’m not really superstitious about Friday the 13th. Other stuff maybe but not Friday the 13th. They’ve always been kind of lucky for me, actually. Strange, I know.
Oh, and Margo, the Knights Templar were taken on a Friday the 13th and the year was 1307. However, it is not considered where the bad luck thing came from.
Fedora Says:
Probably none–I’m not terribly superstitious, and we actually got married on a 13th, so I sort of think of the 13th as an especially good day now