Freaky Friday
Superstitious links between 13 and the sixth day of
the week:
Ruwini JAYAWARDANA
Friday and the number 13 are considered as signs of ill luck from the
bygone days by our ancestors. So whenever the two sectors combine, bad
fortune is
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Jesus was betrayed by the 13th guest taking part in the Last Supper |
believed to double on this particular day. It occurs at different
times in the calendar. Last year it occurred three times: February 13,
March 13 and November 13 while this year it turned up only on August 13.
Myth
The tale behind this age old belief is said to root from a Norse
myth. It occurs at a dinner party arranged by 12 gods at Valhalla, their
heaven.
While the party was in full swing till the 13th guest strolled in. It
was Loki who had not been invited to the feast. Loki provoked Hoder, the
blind god of darkness, to shoot Balder, the god of joy with mistletoe
tipped arrow. The deed was done and with Balder’s death the whole Earth
sank into deep despair.
History
Turning to Biblical references it is noted that Judas who betrayed
Jesus was the 13th guest taking part in the Last Supper. History also
records that on one fateful Friday the 13th in1306, King Philip of
France arrested the Knights Templar and tortured them.
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Adam and Eve consumed the apple on a Friday |
Ancient Romans believed that 12 groups of witches gather to engage in
magic during this day. The 13th group is believed to be Satan.
Egyptians considered 13 unlucky because they believed that life
unfolded in 12 stages. The 13th stage is the after-life-beyond, meaning
death as a joyful transformation.
Public hanging too normally took place on Fridays. Interestingly
there were supposedly 13 steps which lead steps lead the victims up to
the noose.
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Fear for 13 |
| Many may
boast that they do not believe in superstitions and regard them
as old wives tales but some interesting facts have unveiled a
different story. Seeing is believing. Consider these
observations:
* Many airports skip the 13th
gate
* Airplanes have no 13th aisle
* Hospitals and hotels regularly have no room number 13
* Italians omit the number 13 from their national lottery
* On streets in Florence, Italy, the house between number 12 and
14 is addressed as 12 and a half
* Many cities do not have a 13th Street or a 13th Avenue
* In France, socialites known as the quatorziens (fourteeners)
once made themselves available as 14th guests to keep a dinner
party from an unlucky fate
* Many triskaidekaphobes, as those who fear the unlucky integer
are known, point to the ill-fated mission to the moon, Apollo 13
* Buildings and skyscrapers will often skip the 13th floor,
going straight from 12 to 14
* Weddings plans, new job start dates, or any other auspicious
occasion are usually planned to avoid the 13th day of the month
and, especially Friday the 13th, to ensure good fortune
* If you have 13 letters in your name, you will have the devil’s
luck . Jack the Ripper, Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, Theodore
Bundy and Albert de Salvo all have 13 letters in their names
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Religion
Going back to the origins of mankind records predict that Eve tempted
Adam with the apple on a Friday. Muslims too believe that Allah created
Adam, the first man, on a Friday.
Furthermore it is said that the Flood in the Bible, the confusion at
the Tower of Babel, and the death of Jesus Christ all took place on
Friday. Just as 13 is associated with bad luck and evil, the number 12
is believed to have opposite effect.
Numerologists consider it as a complete number. Hence 12 months in a
year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 labors of Hercules,
12 tribes of Israel, and 12 apostles of Jesus.
Lucky Friday
Friday, however, is considered to be lucky in some context. Romans
dedicated the sixth day of the week to Venus. Though she is noted as the
goddess of beauty and love, she is also believed to be extremely vain.
Later Norsemen translated the name as Frigg, or Freya. The term
eventually evolved into its modern version as Friday.
Though the date evokes uneasiness and uncertainty evidence has yet to
prove if this date is actually unlucky. Whatever the truth is, it all
comes down to belief. If you don’t believe Friday the 13th is unlucky,
it won’t be, and if you do think it’s unlucky, then bad luck will
inevitably follow those that believe it. |
