Community Corner
Friday the 13th, Friend or Foe?
It's Friday the 13th and some believe the day brings bad luck, while others continue their day as normal.
Friday the 13th is a day of turmoil for some superstitious people around the world. Are you avoiding cracks and making sure to not split poles? Whether you believe in superstitions or not, below are some common myths and facts about the infamous day.
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Phobia: Fear of the number 13 is referred to as triskaidekaphobia and fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskevidekatriaphobia, also known as friggatriskaidekaphobia.
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Biblical? Some believe the fear of Friday comes from the Bible because many significant events that didn’t turn out so well happened on that day such as the Crucifixion, Eve’s offer to Adam in the Garden of Eden, the beginning of the Great Flood, and the confusion at the Tower of Babel. In the late 14th century, Chaucer referenced the omen in his book The Canterbury Tales but the references really began in the mid-17th century. It was generally thought that no undertaking should be started on a Friday.
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Don't Be 13th: Similarly, fear of the number 13 can be traced to The Last Supper where Judas Iscariot was the last, or 13th, to sit and later ended up dying. Traditionally, it is because of this that when 13 people are in a group, they must all rise and sit as a group, thus avoiding the superstition that the first to rise or the last to sit at a table will become a victim of death.
Very Superstitious: The Romans made the first mirrors and believed they reflected the soul. They also believed life renewed itself every seven years. Therefore, breaking a mirror was like breaking your soul and would bring seven year’s bad luck.
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Sunday = 13th: There will always be a Friday the 13th in a month that begins with a Sunday. There is at least one per year, and the most that can occur in one year is three.
Test the Theory: In 1908, U.S. Senator Robert L. Owen dared the superstition by introducing 13 bills on the day. Also notable is the Rev. Charles H. Reynolds, a pastor in Middletown, N.Y. He offered to marry free of charge any couple willing to tie the knot on Friday, June 13 in 1913.
Ladders: It is thought that walking under a ladder is unlucky because the ladder is a triangle shape and was thought to represent the Holy Trinity--thus ,walking under it would be like breaking the Trinity.
Omens: Omens of the number 13 have been avoided by renumbering rooms in hotels and misnumbering floors in multilevel buildings so that there is no 13 and skips straight to 14.
Funny Money: The $1 bill has 13 steps on the pyramid, 13 star’s above the eagle’s head, 13 leaves on the olive branch, and 13 war arrows in the eagle’s claw.
El Gato Negro: No one is sure why black cats are considered ominous. The only thing for sure is that a black cat carries two recessive genes. El Gato Negro is also the name of a longstanding and well known comic book.