The fear of Friday the 13th. And you thought I was yelling obscenities, huh?
Frigga – name of the Norse Godess whom Friday is named after
Triskaidephobia – fear of the # 13
13 has the “luck” to come after the # 12 which is considered the # for completeness, twelve months of the year, twelve hours of the clock, twelve gods of olympus, twelve tribes of Israel, twelve apostles of Jesus, the 12 descendants of Muhammad imams, etc., leaving “13” as transgressing this completeness and being irregular.
Friday has been considered unlucky since the 14th century, making it an unlucky day to start new journeys or begin new projects (good to know). since the 1800s Friday has been associated with disasters, like stock market crashes and other disasters. It has also been suggested that Friday has been considered an unlucky day because, according to Christian scripture and tradition, Jesus was crucified on a Friday.
Approximately 17 to 21 million people in the usa are affected by the fear of Friday the thirteenth. Some people go to the extreme of not carrying on their usual tasks, taking flights, or even getting out of bed. It’s been estimated that $800-$900 million are lost in business in the USA on this day.
As highly superstitious as I am (won’t walk under a ladder, avoid black cats crossing my path, toss salt over my left shoulder when spilt, etc.), Friday the thirteenth does nothing for me. I guess it means I should get out of bed and carry on.
Thank you wikipedia for this wealth of information and since I can’t post without a picture…..this make me a pretty lucky gal any day of the week:
