Today I brought you a topic that you hear a lot of mention in college. Friday the 13th? Because fear!
Why do we fear the 13?
The answer is not clear, but aversion may have religious origins. Some Christians believe that Friday is unlucky because it was the day Jesus was crucified, and 13 is the number of guests at the last supper, Judas being number 13.
Followers of numerology have testified about the disturbing power of this number.
Throughout history, it has been considered that a Friday that falls on the 13th is a sign of bad luck or a bad omen. Whether this is true or not, the truth is that many people suffer at the mere thought of thinking about this date and suffer from phobias directly related to this superstition.
Today I got some curiosities about Friday the 13th.
It is not known for sure why this date is feared
Very little is known about the origins of fear of this day. Some historians believe that the superstitions that surround this date, arose in the 19th century. The first documented mention can be found in the biography of the Italian composer Gioachino Rossini, who died on a Friday the 13th.
Others associate it with a book of 1907, called "Friday, the XIII", published by the American stockbroker Thomas Lawson, and that served as inspiration for the mythology of Friday the 13th that culminated with the films and the television series in the 80 ..
It is a very real fear
****So real that it has even its own scientific name. The fear of Friday the 13th is also called triscaideicaphobia or paraskevidekatriaphobia. It comes from the Greek words triskaideka, which means 13, and phobia, which means fear. Paraskevidekatriaphobia is also derived from the Greek: Paraskeví is translated as Friday, and dekatria is another way of saying 13.***
And very common!
Experts say triscaideicaphobia affects millions of people and estimates that companies, especially airlines, suffer from severe losses on Friday 13.
Many high-rise buildings, hotels and hospitals omit the 13th floor, and even many airports do not have doors numbered 13. In many places around the world, seating 13 people at a table is also a sign of bad luck.
It is proven that hundreds of millions of dollars are spent that day, since people avoid making purchases, investing money, traveling, going to work, thus affecting the world economy and the commercial sector that is clearly affected.
On Friday the 13th it can come in three in three
There is bad news for all those who suffer from triscaideicaphobia: At least, every year they have a Friday the 13th and at the most, we can have 3 Friday the 13th in the same year. As it happened in the years 2012 and 2015.
The fault of which exists on Friday the 13th has it on Sunday
For a month to have a Friday the 13th, the month should start on a Sunday. You do not believe it? Take a look at the calendar and see for yourself.
Each month that starts on Sunday has a Friday the 13th and every month that starts on Thursday has a Tuesday 13
There are Friday the 13th even during the leap years
If the 1st of January of the leap year falls on a Sunday, the months of January, April and July will have a Friday the 13th each. In the 20th century, this happened in 1928, 1956 and 1984. And in the 21st century this will happen four times in 2012, 2040, 2068, 2096.
Not in all countries is considered a day of bad luck
Although there are countries like the United Kingdom in which according to studies carried out, 72% of the population says that they believe that Friday the 13th is a day of bad luck and that on this date they have missed work, avoided leaving home, leaving travel, make business or make important purchases, there are others in which this date is not a problem.
In Italy, for example, it is Friday the 17th and not the Friday the 13th considered the day of bad luck. In fact, the number 13 is considered a good luck number in the country of pasta. And in many Spanish-speaking countries, such as Spain, and in Greece, it is Tuesday the 13th which is considered a day of bad luck.
Research shows that, in reality, it is not a day of bad luck.
There is no evidence to show that Friday the 13th is, in fact, an unfortunate day. Many studies have proven that Friday the 13th has no special effect on misfortunes such as accidents, hospital admissions, or natural disasters, which do not seem to increase on that date more than usual.