Friday the 13th Superstitions

Today is Friday the 13th, which might bring to mind the spooky Friday the 13th superstitions, movies, black cats and a variety of superstitions. Since 13 is my lucky number, I never get worried about Friday the 13th superstitions. What made Friday the 13th a traditional day to fear?

If you're superstitious, 2009 is a year to drive you crazy with Friday the 13th occurring three times. In 2009, we saw Friday the 13th in February, March and November. But getting back to fear...when did Friday the 13th start to become so scary?

The fear of Friday the 13th is formally known as paraskevidekatriphobia. A Gallup poll in 1990 revealed 9 percent of Americans believe Friday the 13th is a jinxed day to avoid. The only widespread superstitions beating Friday the 13th are a black cat crossing your path (14 percent) and walking under a ladder (12 percent).

According to Wikipedia, it is believed two fears are represented by Friday the 13th. Western culture had a fear of Friday and the number 13. In Christianity, 13 is the number of people at the Last Supper. Jesus was present with his 12 apostles and betrayer Judas was the 13th apostle to arrive at the Last Supper.

The number 13 can be traced further back to Norse mythology. It is believed hero Balder was killed at a banquet by God Loki, who was the 13th person in the group. Coupled with the story of the Last Supper, it's easy to see why 13 became considered an unlucky number over the centuries. It might also make you want to avoid meals where 13 guests are in attendance!

Is 13 related to Paganism? Many Pagans considered 13 a lucky number with 13 lunar cycles in a year. The demotion of 13 is also related to Christianity and the Battle of Hastings. When King Harold II decided on Friday the 13th in October, 1066 to go to battle on October 14, the English lost and King Harold was killed. It was believed he should have allowed the troops to rest, which made 13 more unlucky. It was also a way to degrade Pagan beliefs.

Adding to superstitious behavior, did you notice hotels don't have a 13th floor and airplanes don't have a 13th row? Apparently the fear of 13 remains alive and well in the modern world.

According to a National Geographic article about Friday the 13th, Donald Dossey, founder of the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in North Carolina, stated, “It's been estimated that $800 or $900 million is lost in business [US] this day because people will not fly or do business as they normally do.”

We won't see Friday the 13th for awhile since it returns against in August, 2010. It won't be back again until May, 2011. Happy Friday the 13th because ladies with Venusity have fun EVERYDAY! Enjoy the original trailer of the 1980 movie “Friday the 13th.”