Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th is a day that I have always known to be mystical. It is said that bad things happen on this day. The superstition apparently dates back to ancient times. According to Snopes.com, "many common theories link it to a significant event in Christian tradition said to have taken place on Friday, such as the Crucifixion, Eve's offering the apple to Adam in the Garden of Eden, the beginning of the Great Flood, or the confusion at the Tower of Babel". That is just the tip of the iceberg though. Friday the 13th has also been referenced in Western literature starting in the mid-17th century: "Now Friday came, you old wives say, Of all the the week's the unluckiest day". On top of that, you don't want to begin any of these activities on Friday the 13th: needleworking, harvesting, launching a ship, and giving birth - just to name a few.

Do I really think this day is unlucky? No. I believe that Friday the 13th is just another day. Would I get married on that day? Probably not, I mean why even attempt to play with fire? Maybe it's not Friday the 13th that is bad luck. Maybe it is just the number 13? Jack the Ripper, Theodore Bundy and Charles Manson all have 13 letters in their names. Maybe that is why they committed the murders that they did. At the end of the day, I think people are just charged with negative energy and are just bound for bad luck. My grandmother had bad luck her entire life until the day she died. Could that have been because of her actions? I'll never truly know. I do think that a lot of this Friday the 13th, Number 13 stuff is all in everybody's heads.

Sources:
http://www.corsinet.com/trivia/scary.html
http://www.snopes.com/luck/friday13.asp

1 comment:

  1. This is a very interesting topic since it is so well known and observed. I really enjoy the whole science vs religion ideas so I enjoy reading about ancient religious practices. Another thought of the origin of Friday the thirteenth is that, On Friday October 13th 1307 King Phillip ordered for the arrest and burning at the stake of the Templar Knights group as they were considered a "heretic" organization at the time. I thought it was interesting to hear the other Christian origins of the belief that you have dug up. Very interesting topic.

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