Friday the Thirteenth

Well folks its that unlucky day where we all go out to our local hardware stores to buy ladders and mirrors while stepping on every crack in the road. Or possibly stop by the pet store just to walk past a black cat. Whatever your quirky practices are on this superstitious day, we can all agree that it's an unlucky day. Full of pain, blood, and jealous popes?

Yes jealous popes! While discussing Friday the thirteenth, the question you have to ask is, why the thirteenth, and why on a Friday. If you don't ask these questions, Call this number: 1-800-828-7484.

So let's take a look into the thought origins of Friday the Thirteenth. It seems as if

Historians propose the origin of the "Black Friday" was the simultaneous arrest of thousands of Knights Templars on Friday, October 13, 1307, to be later tortured into admitting heresy. King Phillip the Fair of France and the Pope were jealous of the fame, power, and famous wealth the Templars possessed. They ordered sealed letters sent all over the known world to be opened at the same time. The letters were opened, and in accord with their instructions, the Templars were seized. Jacques De Molay, the Grand Master of the Knights Templar, was brought before the inquisition and forced to confess to charges including heresy toward the church and practicing homosexuality. When pressured to disclose the names of fellow templars and the undiscovered wealth of the Order of the Knights Templar, De Molay refused and was burned at the stake on an island near the Cathedral of Notre Dame in France.

That little excerpt makes my whole pope reference make sense, and also explains some superstitions. Maybe if it weren't for King Phillip and the Pope we'd be all set. But if you look at that date, kind of interesting that Friday the thirteenth could have started on this exact date in the year 1307. So before I move on, let us take a moment to remember those poor Templars who made this blog entry possible. I'm sure that was their hope before they were burning.

Thirteen also has its roots in the Bible. The Last Supper had 13 attendees (Jesus and 12 apostles). It turns out that Judas, who eventually betrayed Jesus and got him killed, was the last to arrive at the supper, making him the 13th to arrive. Turns out that Jesus was crucified on a Friday, so therefore Christians have long had a grudge against Fridays. In the olden days people would never start a new journey on a Friday for it was though that it would be doomed from the beginning. Also some think that Adam and Eve took the fruit on a Friday or that the great Flood began on a Friday.

But we can't only look at the history and superstitions, we need some more data to support such claims that this is an unlucky day. So we shall look at some study:

A study in 1993 found people driving less often on Friday the 13th but found that incidents of car accidents nevertheless went up significantly. This has been attributed to such people feeling a heightened state of anxiety on that day.

So there if proof to support that this day is unlucky, but it can also be explained. We have grown this superstition up to such a height that we end up creating our own anxieties and causing unnecessary incidents. There is a phobia out there, called paraskavedekatriaphobia (I won't even try pronouncing that). This is actually the clinical name for a fear of friday the thirteenth. The phobia stems off of the phobia of the number 13, Triskaidekaphobia.

In the end it comes down to superstition. In reality this day has no further meaning than Thursday the Thirteenth, but they way it is built up, the anxieties of people cause them to be a bit more reckless and more accident prone. The origin of this belief comes from a combination of factors, kind of like a math problem. Christians think Friday is bad, so you have an unlucky friday, then along with thirteens negative connotation, you get a very bad day.

Unlucky Friday + Unlucky 13 = Unluckier Friday.
-about.com

So let's consider this when Friday the Thirteenth comes around again and not get ourselves hurt!

Stay Safe! And watch out for those Cats!

-Jake

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