Friday 13th and superstitions: Today is Friday the 13th and believe it or not, early in the morning my doorbell rang 13 times by itself. Superstition considers it an ominous day. Your dog will growl. Your boss will growl. Your partner may shout at you.
When a Friday hits No. 13, airline tickets go cheaper in the Western world, meetings get cancelled in excess.
Psychology of Friday the 13th
According to Psychology, there's even a name to describe the irrational fear of the date: paraskevidekatriaphobia, a specialized form of triskaidekaphobia, a fear of the number 13.
Stroy behind Friday the 13th
While Friday the 13th may feel like a unique phenomenon, the Gregorian calendar means that the 13th of any month is slightly or more likely to fall on a Friday than any other day of the week. However, it is not a global superstition:
In Greece and Spanish-speaking countries, it is Tuesday the 13th that is considered a day of bad luck, while in Italy, it is Friday the 17th that is met with dread.
The cultural origins of an enduring superstition
Like many superstitions that have unfolded over time and across cultures, it is challenging to pinpoint the precise origins of Friday 13th. What is known, though, is that both Friday and the number 13 have been considered unlucky in certain cultures throughout history. The superstition seems to relate to several things, like the story of Jesus' last supper and crucifixion in which there were 13 individuals present in the Upper Room on the 13th of Nisan Maundy Thursday, the night before his death on Good Friday. While there is evidence of both Friday and the number 13 being regarded as unlucky, there is no record of the two items being referred to as especially unlucky in conjunction before the 19th century.
The superstition appears to be related to the extreme tragedy of the Trials of the Knights Templar which began with their arrest on Friday 13 October 1307, which was performed by Philip IV of France and his counsellors with aims to obtain the wealth of the Templars.
According to folklore the famous historian Donald Dossey, the unlucky nature of the number "13" originated with a Norse myth about 12 gods having a dinner party in Valhalla. The impostor god Loki, who was not invited, arrived as the 13th guest and arranged for Hoor to shoot Balder with a poisoned arrow. Dossey said: "Balder died, and the whole Earth got dark. The whole Earth mourned. It was a bad, unlucky day." This major event in Norse mythology caused the number 13 to be considered unlucky.
History of Bad things that happened on Friday the 13th
Here is a list of bad things that happened on Friday the 13th.
1.Buckingham Palace was bombed on September 13, 1940, during World War II. And guess what, it was Friday!
2.March 13 2020 could be considered the official day of the pandemic, yet again, it was Friday.
3.The murder of Tupac Shakur is one of the most famous unsolved cases in recent history. He died on Friday, September 13.
4.A British 13-year-old boy was struck by lightning on Friday the 13th, at 13:13.
5.Kitty Genovese, a Queens resident, was brutally attacked and murdered on March 13, 1964.
6.The Costa Concordia cruise ship ran aground off the coast of Italy on January 13, 2012.
7.Kansas experienced record-breaking amounts of rain and flooding.
on July 13, 1951.
8.The stock market experienced a "mini-crash" in 1989, October 13.
9.A flight through the Andes ended in disaster and death on October 13, 1972.
10.On that same day, another flight crashed in Russia. All 174 people on board the flight (including the 10 crew members) died when the plane crashed while trying to land due to bad weather.
11.The Ku Klux Klan's first Grand Wizard was born. Forrest first rose to fame as a Confederate general and was in charge of the infamous Fort Pillow Massacre, where he and his men allegedly killed over 200 unarmed Union soldiers that had surrendered (many of whom were Black).
12.Computers fell victim to the "Friday the 13th Virus."
13.The Bhola cyclone hit Bangladesh. According to NBC News, the Bhola cyclone is still the deadliest storm in the Bay of Bengal — the death toll is estimated to be from 150,000 to 550,000.
14.Swedish flight DC-3 vanished and was never heard from again.
15.The city of Buffalo was hit with a freak blizzard.
16.The Black Friday bushfires consumed Victoria, Australia.
17.Sam Patch plunged to his death in the Genesee River in 1829.
18.In 2029, an asteroid will come extremely close to Earth. According to NASA, an asteroid, 99942 Apophis., will come within 20,000 miles of the Earth on April 13, 2029.
Superstitions
Bad luck alert! Here are some top superstitions from around the world that one should note down:
1. Knocking on Wood
You've probably knocked on wood to avoid jinxing yourself at some point in your life without knowing why.
2. The Evil Eye
Has someone ever praised something you own only for it to later be broken or ruined? Some superstitious folk might say that was the evil eye at work. To guard against such disastrous gazes, people in Turkey have an amulet called the "nazar boncugu."
3. Black Cats/Birds
Black cats have always had a bad reputation, especially around Halloween, given their distinguished allegiance to witches. The poor creatures are just as avoided any day of the year, and it's a common superstition that a black cat crossing your path is bad luck.
4. Trimming Nails at Night
It's bad luck to trim your finger or toenails after dark, at least according to superstitions in Turkey, India and South Korea.
5. Tuesday the 13th
In Spain and Spanish speaking countries, it's Tuesday the 13th that gets people wound up.
6. Whistling
Whistling indoors supposedly leads to financial problems in Russia. In Norway, whistling at the sun supposedly causes rain. Okay!
7. Sitting at the Corner of a Table
In some countries, it is considered as bad luck and you may never get married.
8. Purse/Wallet on the Ground
May bring financial distress, apart from the dirt it collects.
9. Toasting with Water
Want to wish death upon someone, simply toast to them with water, at least that's according to German superstition.
10. Hagia Sophia Thumb Turning
11. Mirrors
Another widely-known superstition is that breaking a mirror will result in seven years of bad luck. Be careful with the mirrors!
12. Birds Flying Into Your Home
According to an old wives tale, a bird flying into your home is a bad sign, especially if said bird circles the room and lands on the back of someone's chair and then leaves.
13. Argentinian Werewolves
And last but not least, there's a superstition in Argentina that claims seventh sons will turn into werewolves unless the president of the country adopts them.
