This is how the superstition was created that Friday and the 13th are bad
2024-09-13 19:04:29
TiranaPost
Today is Friday the 13th. Many may tell us that this is a terns day, a very old superstition that has been reinforced by contemporary movies and novels, especially those of the thriller and horror genre. But how was this idea formed that Friday and the 13th when combined together are bad luck?
This superstition has its origins in the Last Supper, where Christ together with his 12 apostles on Easter Friday, before Judas Iscariot betrayed him. In Christian culture, this superstition has been reinforced by other events throughout history. On October 13, 1307, a Friday, King Philip IV of France arrested hundreds of crusaders in his kingdom, and since then, the notion that this date meant bad things was reinforced in the minds of the masses.
Cases of history
They are all coincidences, but, like many other dates, there are historical events that all happened on Friday the 13th. On this day, King Philip of France ordered the arrest of the Knights Templar. Also, on September 13, 1940, the Nazis bombed Buckingham Palace. On a Friday, November 13, 1970, a cyclone devastated Bangladesh, and also on a Friday, October 13, 1989, one of the biggest financial crises in history occurred.
It goes without saying that tens of thousands of other historical events have occurred on other dates: from the outbreak of world wars to dozens of attacks. There is also an anecdote that proves the opposite. In 1976, Daz Baxter from New York was apparently so scared of a Friday the 13th that he decided to stay in his bed. Mr Baxter was killed when the floor of his building collapsed.
The benefits of Friday the 13th
If you don't let yourself be swayed by myths and superstitions, Friday the 13th can bring countless advantages. Things done on days when no one wants to expose themselves to the dangers of fate, much less. The higher the supply, the lower the prices. This applies to both travel and weddings. Friday the 13th is bad for the economy because it leads to less profits for businesses (one estimate says $900 million), but an advantage for the consumer who doesn't allow himself to be intimidated by superstitions. If there are those who do not leave their homes, the traffic decreases and with it the risk of accidents.
Literature
Unlucky Friday is mentioned in The Canterbury Tales, but it has been firmly established in Western literature since the 17th century. The day and number do not appear together until the 20th century with the 1907 novel 'Friday the Thirteenth'.
There are even those who think that those who wanted to destroy superstitions were the ones who caused the fame of Friday the 13th to grow. A Philadelphia group, the Friday the 13th Club, consisted of 13 men who met between 1936 and 2000 every Friday the 13th at 1:13 p.m. They would eat lunch, go down the stairs, throw some salt and break the mirrors. They stopped at the year 2000 because according to the calendar they had created they would all be dead by that date.
Even older is the Skeptics Club of New York, dated January 13, 1882 by Captain William Foeller. It was called The Thirteen Club and the membership fee was also 13 cents a month or dollars for lifetime membership. 1,300 registered including President Theodore Roosevelt. There are versions in London and Paris. The next President Roosevelt, Franklin Delano, no longer traveled 13 and was feared like Napoleon.
For 2024, this is the first Friday the 13th, the second is repeated on December 13.
