spanishomelette Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 Spooked by Friday 13th? Marchelle Hermanus http://lifestyle.iafrica.com/brain_food/bf_features/790547.htm Thu, 12 Jan 2006 Did you wake up this morning with a sense of foreboding? Did you shoo the black cat from your path and carefully walk around the ladder? Friday the 13th is what scary bedtime stories are made of and it provides the formula for Hollywood horror flicks, but why is the day considered to be so unlucky? Paraskevidekatriaphobics — people who appear seamlessly normal for 365 days of the year — break out into fits of panic as the day dawns and are determined to stay indoors and intend going through their daily routines accident-free. Some even refuse to go to work and stay hidden under the covers. Superstitious minds The hype surrounding Friday 13th is tied into many superstitions around the world, and even if you're not the superstitious type, you just may find that you're that little bit more vigilant on the day. The origin of the superstition can be linked to as far back as the medieval times when Christian theology students, using the Bible as proof, pointed out that the Last Supper was attended by 13 people, including Jesus, who was crucified on Good Friday. There's a link to Norse mythology too, where twelve gods had a feast in Valhalla, and an invited guest gate-crashed the party and arranged for Hod, the blind god of darkness to throw a fatal branch of mistletoe at Balder, the god of joy and gladness. As a result the whole of the Earth was plunged into darkness and mourning. Secret society Yet arguably the most convincing theory as to the origins of the superstition harkens to the dark corners of a secret society, made famous in the 21st century by US author Dan Brown whose fascination with the Knights Templar spawned his best-selling novel 'The Da Vinci Code'. The story centres on the arrest of Jacques de Molay, Grand Master of the Knights Templar, and 60 of his most senior comrades on Friday October 13, 1307 by France's King Philip IV. Thousands of Templars were arrested, tortured and executed, so the story goes. ... This year there are two Fridays that fall under the 13th — one in January and one in October. So best you start planning now for the next one. Most hotels in the US don't have a 13th floor or even room number 13 because of the stories associated with the unlucky number. Many cultures perceive the day to be the best day for marriage because according to Greek mythology, this day is ruled by the fertility goddess Venus. Here's to an accident-free Friday 13th! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor 36 Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 It's not Friday the 13th that scares me, it is Saturday the 14th. That movie was awful!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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