Did you know that Friday the 13th actually stems from not one, but two fears:
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The fear of the number 13
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The fear of Fridays.
Isn’t that wild? But, there’s some roots to this fear. It dates back to the Christian’s belief in this date.
There were apparently 13 people that attended the last supper and Judas was the 13th guest. Jesus was said to have died on a Friday.
Thus, the superstition began.
It gets weirder!
On Friday the 13th in 1307 King Philip the IV arrested and charged hundreds of Templar Knights across France with ‘illegal activities’. The knights were then tortured and burned at the stake. (p.s. the charges were never proven.) Talk about over-reacting.
Paraskevidekatriaphobia or Friggatriskaidekaphobia is the fear of Friday the 13th. (phew, that’s a mouthful)
Just like people that are scared of the dark, or spiders, some people suffer from the fear of this day!
Over 20 MILLION people in the US are said to suffer from this.
Think I’m exaggerating? Check out this next fact:
Some hospitals, Elevators, and skyscrapers tend to skip past this floor or room number from the number 12 to 14. Ever notice that there are no Gate 13‘s in airports?
Hmm. That’s a good title for a book, Gate 13.
Friday the 13th was released on May 13th, 1980 and despite it’s budget of $550,000, it grossed over $39.7 million at the box office!
The first reference to an ‘unlucky Friday the 13th‘ was in an 1869 biography of the composer Rossini who famously died on November 13th, 1868.
Every year has at least one Friday the 13th and can have as many as three! (this year has two and in December of all months! I predict some horror films in abundance.)
The longest period that can occur without a Friday the 13th is 14 months. Which is the one we are experiencing today. 😉
Speaking of Paraskevidekatriaphobia. Did you know that Franklin D. Roosevelt refused to travel on Friday the 13th and refused to host any dinner with 13 guests?
Noir film director Alfred Hitchcock was born on Friday the 13th in 1899. How completely fitting for the “Master of Suspense.”
In Norse Mythology, Loki is the god of mischief, and said to have been the 13th guest in Valhalla and said to have arranged the shooting of the god of joy and gladness.
Leave it to Loki to rob the world of joy.
All superstitions aside, did you know that some cultures, like Italy, consider the number 13 lucky!
Personally, I think it’s just fun to get spooked. How do you view this day?
C.A. Greyson 