Paraskavedekatriaphobia. Just trying to pronounce the word is scary. It refers to the fear of Friday the 13th, and it's been said that as many as 21 million Americans may suffer from it, not to mention all the other ones in the rest of the world!
There are many origins for the date being seen as the unluckiest of the year. One is that Christ was the 13th guest at the last supper and was crucified on a Friday. Tradition also has it that Friday the 13th was the day Eve tempted Adam with the forbidden fruit and the day Noah's flood began. For centuries, no ship would sail on Friday the 13th.
The Knights Templar rose to prominence in Europe between 1096 and 1307. Their downfall came on Friday 13th October 1307. This date saw the catastrophic destruction of the Knights Templar by King Philip of France and his puppet Pope Clement V.
I’ve read that there are no houses in Paris with the number 13 and many New York hotels do not number the 13th floor or have rooms numbered 13.
In Brazil instead, Friday the 13th is a magic day because each time it becomes the festival of Macumba, a mixture of ancestral religion and rituals. I’d rather party with the Brazilians rather than spend my day at home in superstitious fear tomorrow!
And then my personal Friday 13th unlucky day was already yesterday, Wednesday 11th! My dad had an emergency operation (fortunately today he’s already recovering!), my son broke his nose playing football, my daughter got her forehead badly bruised by a “flying” ball in the playground and my husband’s car slid on black ice on his way to work and the radiator and the front of the car were smashed. Luckily he was unhurt. So, what else could go wrong? Actually, plenty more...
The Knights Templar rose to prominence in Europe between 1096 and 1307. Their downfall came on Friday 13th October 1307. This date saw the catastrophic destruction of the Knights Templar by King Philip of France and his puppet Pope Clement V.
I’ve read that there are no houses in Paris with the number 13 and many New York hotels do not number the 13th floor or have rooms numbered 13.
In Brazil instead, Friday the 13th is a magic day because each time it becomes the festival of Macumba, a mixture of ancestral religion and rituals. I’d rather party with the Brazilians rather than spend my day at home in superstitious fear tomorrow!
And then my personal Friday 13th unlucky day was already yesterday, Wednesday 11th! My dad had an emergency operation (fortunately today he’s already recovering!), my son broke his nose playing football, my daughter got her forehead badly bruised by a “flying” ball in the playground and my husband’s car slid on black ice on his way to work and the radiator and the front of the car were smashed. Luckily he was unhurt. So, what else could go wrong? Actually, plenty more...
However I think that tomorrow is the perfect time - the first Friday the 13th of the year - to face all those fears. Stare superstition in the face. Break a mirror. Walk under a ladder. Be bold! After all we are in the year 2009!
