Okay, not really. Even with all the superstition, this day is just another day for me. Sometimes I find it's even a lucky day. With the weather changing back to colder temperatures again, I figured I'd do something a little different. I also wanted to try and break out of the funk that I've been posting about. A person can only take so much reading about down-in-the-dumps stuff before wanting to scream. On that note, just how did Friday the 13th become such a big deal?
Did you know that in our calendar there will always be at least one Friday the 13th? Any month that starts on a Sunday will have a Friday the 13th in it. So it's not uncommon to have more than one a year if the days line up that way. For 2012, there are three occurrences of this date (January, April, and July). So we'll have plenty of time to stock up before the next one comes our way. The exact beginning of the superstition has been debated over the years. No one can say conclusively that it was present in its entirety before the 19th century. That's when the deep rooted superstitions surrounding the day took off in a big way. The earliest known written reference in English was found in the biography of Gioachino Rossini in 1869. In 1907, a book was published by Thomas Lawson called Friday the Thirteenth. It told the story of a business man who was determined to crash the stock market on the day in question. Apparently it did well enough to warrant a film about the book.
There a few theories on the origin of superstition. Most think it's a combination of the number '13' and Friday. Each are thought to be unlucky in their own right. Friday is thought to be unlucky since it's thought that Jesus was crucified on a Friday. The thought took a stronger hold after The Canterbury Tales came out in the 14th century. Many professions also consider the day unlucky to travel or begin new projects. The number 13 has its own set of unlucky superstitions. Within numerology, twelve is said to be a complete number. Therefore 13 throws that completeness out the window and out of balance. There are other instances given to show why 13 is considered unlucky including;
- In both Christian and Norse stories, a banquet of 13 people/gods led to trouble for one of them. In Christianity, Jesus was betrayed by Judas after the last supper. There were 13 people present. In Norse legends, the 12 gods were having a banquet in Valhalla. Loki, the trickster god, wasn't invited and decided to crash the party. After inciting a fight, one of the gods killed a beloved god. Therefore, it's thought that the number of guests should not end at 13 or there would be some sort of misfortune.
- Ancient Egyptians considered the number 13 connected to afterlife. Life for them unfolded into 12 sections or stages. When they reached 13, it's thought that they were in their eternal peace and doing what they were sent to do in the afterlife. It's thought that the connection between the number and death comes from this theory.
In recent history, people have drawn connections between Friday the 13th and the Knights Templar. The Knights Templar were a group of men known as the "warrior monks" of Christ. During the Crusades, these men were the fighting elite that took on a number of battles against those who didn't practice Christianity. Within 200 years, these men became powerful in political influence as well as fighting. It's been thought that to keep the Knights Templar from being a political threat, a pope demanded they be put to death. This wiping out of Knights Templar is thought to have taken place on a Friday the 13th.
Yet there are a lot of people, such as myself, who don't consider the day or number to be anything other than a day and a number. In fact, I'm pretty much just going to kick back and do a little crochet today. That way I can stay away from black cats and won't have to walk under ladders. Have a great day!
Until next time,
Kay
Sources
http://urbanlegends.about.com/cs/historical/a/friday_the_13th.htm
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1879288,00.html
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