Triskaidekaphobia: The Fear of the Number 13

Friday the 13th that one day which is the most feared among those with superstitious beliefs. You are usually told not to walk no cracks, walk under ladders, be extra careful with mirrors and avoid black cats by any means necessary. Why is this so??? Well some (sources) say that from the Christian bible:



- Friday is reputed to be the day Eve gave Adam the apple.
- It is said to be the day Adam & Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden.
- Friday is also reputed to be the day they (Adam & Eve) died.
- The Great Flood is supposed to have started on a Friday.
- God was said to have struck the builders of the Towel of Babel and created the confusion of many tongues, on a Friday.
- The Temple of Solomon was destroyed on a Friday.
- Christ was crucified and died on a Friday.
Among other things, but that still doesn't explain why all this hocus pocus is attached to it either. If you take the title and break it down to get a definition, you will see it has Greek origins. Tris means Three, Kai mean and, deka means ten and phobia as we all know means fear and in some instances morbid fear. So it basically means "Having a morbid fear of 13" .... basically.According to myths and folklore the superstition attached to this day dates back to somewhere around the early parts of the 19th century. It was documented by Henry Sutherland Edwards' 1869 biography of Gioachino Rossini, who "coincidentally" died on a Friday the 13th.

In numerology, the number twelve is considered the number of completeness, as reflected in the twelve months of the year, twelve hours of the clock, twelve gods of Olympus, twelve tribes of Israel, twelve Apostles of Jesus, the 12 successors of Muhammad in Shia Islam, etc., whereas the number thirteen was considered irregular, transgressing this completeness. There is also a superstition, thought by some to derive from the Last Supper or a Norse myth, that having thirteen people seated at a table will result in the death of one of the diners. Jesus Freak put your hands up!!

Some variations occur in different cultures, for example: In Italian culture, Friday the 17th (and not the 13th) is considered a day of bad luck. In fact, in Italy, 13 is generally considered a lucky number. However, due to Anglo-Saxon influence, young people consider Friday the 13th to be unlucky as well.  In Spanish-speaking countries, instead of Friday, Tuesday the 13th (martes trece) is considered a day of bad luck. The Greeks also consider Tuesday (and especially the 13th) to be an unlucky day. Tuesday is considered to be dominated by the influence of Ares (Mars), the god of war.

Now being that Friday the 13th bodes ill for so many people you can imagine all those superstitious males AND females too who are avoiding sex today for fear that bad luck will kick in and the condom just happens to break. Poof pregnancy ensues. Think of all the superstitious businessmen/businesswomen who rescheduled important meetings because they refuse to fly on Friday the 13th. This day hold an abundance in the way of social impact than people are ready to believe. That's all for now, don't go breaking any mirrors now :)



FUN FACT: Friday the 13th comes in any month which begins on a Sunday. So this instead of staying at home on any 13th Friday which comes your way and be bored, why not watch some scary movies to pass the time. My favourite one is Thirteen Ghosts (appropriate isn't it lol). I leave you with this short song that use to scare me as a little guy lol