Superstitions

[Ron-P]

With tomorrow being Friday the 13th I have to ask, why such hype over this? It's a day with a number, nothing more. Why do people make suck a big deal out of this stuff? Seems kinda childish, and to build buildings with no 13th floor, pure stupidity. It's just a number, no different from 12 or 14.

I'm already hearing talk about next year being the year of the devil because of June 6th, 2006. WTF?

[bobman1235]

People are crazy, but here's why : (from http://people.howstuffworks.com/question614.htm)

n North America and Europe, a significant portion of the population behaves very strangely on Friday the 13th. They won't fly in airplanes, host a party, apply for a job, get married or even start a new project. Some people won't even come into work. In the United States, roughly 8 percent of the population is afraid of Friday the 13th, a condition known as paraskevidekatriaphobia. "Friday the 13th" as we know it has its roots in many traditions and cultures.

The superstition surrounding Friday the 13th is actually a combination of two separate fears -- the fear of the number 13, called triskaidekaphobia, and the fear of Fridays. The most familiar source of both these phobias is Christian theology. Thirteen is significant to Christians because it is the number of people who were present at the Last Supper (Jesus and his 12 apostles). Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th member of the party to arrive.

Christians have traditionally been wary of Fridays because Jesus was crucified on a Friday. In addition to that, some theologians hold that Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden fruit on a Friday, and that the Great Flood began on a Friday. In the past, many Christians would never begin any new project or trip on a Friday, for fear that the endeavor would be doomed from the start.

Sailors were particularly superstitious in this regard, often refusing to ship out to sea on a Friday. According to legend, in the 18th century, the British Navy commissioned a ship called the H.M.S. Friday in order to quell the superstition. The navy selected the crew on a Friday, launched the ship on a Friday and even selected a man named James Friday as the ship's captain. Then, one Friday morning, the ship set off on its maiden voyage -- and disappeared forever.

Some historians trace the Christian distrust of Fridays to the church's overall opposition to pagan religions. Friday is named after Frigg, the Norse goddess of love and sex. This strong female figure, these historians claim, posed a threat to male-dominated Christianity. To fight her influence, the Christian church characterized her as a witch, vilifying the day named after her. This characterization may also have played a part in the fear of the number 13. It was said that Frigg would often join a coven of witches, normally a group of 12, bringing the total to 13. A similar Christian tradition holds that 13 is unholy because it signifies the gathering of 12 witches and the devil.

Some trace the infamy of the number 13 back to ancient Norse culture. In Norse mythology, the beloved hero Balder was killed at a banquet by the malevolent god Loki, who crashed the party of twelve, bringing the group to 13. This story, as well as the story of the Last Supper, led to one of the most entrenched connotations of the number 13: You should never sit down to a meal in a group of 13.

Another significant part of the Friday-the-13th legend is a particularly bad Friday the 13th that occurred in the middle ages. On a Friday the 13th in 1306, King Philip of France burned the revered Knights Templar at the stake, marking the occasion as a day of evil.

Some people come to fear Friday the 13th because of misfortune they've experienced on that day in the past. If you get in a car wreck on one Friday the 13th, or lose your wallet, that day is bound to stay with you. But if you think about it, bad things (from spilling your coffee to, well, much more serious problems) happen all the time, so if you're looking for bad luck on Friday the 13th, you'll probably find it.

[steveinaz]

I think it's what psychologist call a self-fullfilling prophecy. Those who are superstitious are expecting something to go wrong, and the first thing that does, has to be because it's Friday, the 13th.

I'm not at all superstitious, but I do believe in karma, bad and good. I think if you do people wrong, that shit comes back on you, in one form or another.

[cfrizz]

Thanks for the history/trivia lesson!:)

[unc2701]

Interestingly, they found some third- and fourth-century versions of the Book of Revelations, and there was no 666... it was 616 in the first writings. Oops.

see:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/04/0425_050425_papyrus.html

[bobman1235]

Originally posted by unc2701
Interestingly, they found some third- and fourth-century versions of the Book of Revelations, and there was no 666... it was 616 in the first writings. Oops.

see:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/04/0425_050425_papyrus.html

616... and 6+1+6 = 13!! <gasp>!

Does that predate any previous written copies of the Book of Revelations? IE everything else has been wrong due to some transcription error?

That's pretty fascinating.

[DarqueKnight]

The near-tragic Apollo 13 mission is a famous 20th century example of bad things coming in "13's".

1. The mission was launched on April 11, 1970 at 2:13pm E.S.T.
2. The spacecraft of the 13th Apollo mission sustained heavy damage on April 13, 1970.
3. The event that lead to the oxygen tank explosion (turning on power fans within the tank) began at about 10:06pm E.S.T. on April 13, 1970. It is speculated that the tank blew seven minutes later at 10:13pm E.S.T.

Info taken from Nasa website at www.nasa.gov.

[Willow]

Originally posted by bobman1235
People are crazy, but here's why : (from http://people.howstuffworks.com/question614.htm)

Great more interview time for me:

n North America and Europe, a significant portion of the population behaves very strangely on Friday the 13th. They won't fly in airplanes, host a party, apply for a job, get married or even start a new project. Some people won't even come into work. In the United States, roughly 8 percent of the population is afraid of Friday the 13th, a condition known as paraskevidekatriaphobia. "Friday the 13th" as we know it has its roots in many traditions and cultures.

Did they have weekday back then ?

Christians have traditionally been wary of Fridays because Jesus was crucified on a Friday. In addition to that, some theologians hold that Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden fruit on a Friday, and that the Great Flood began on a Friday. In the past, many Christians would never begin any new project or trip on a Friday, for fear that the endeavor would be doomed from the start.

[bobman1235]

Originally posted by Willow
Did they have weekday back then ?

Willow, I think I found your question in there, being "did they have weekdays back then", meaning in the time of Christ. The STRUCTURE of the week was obviously in place, as it is based on Genesis and the creation of the universe according to the Bible. While obviously back then they did not call it "friday", it was in the same place of the 7-day week, I would assume. I am talking out my ass here, so feel free to prove me wrong :)

[Willow]

cool thanks I had no idea. I just thought days started after JC.

[madmax]

I think I'll stay at home, make a circle out of my MIT's and spin around 666 times or until I fall down for the 13th time. :eek:

madmax

[dorokusai]

I don't like Friday the 13th because of Jason Vorhees.

[Early B.]

The earliest association that could have sparked this superstition is an ancient Egyptian god of death and dying who's sacred number is 13. This god, whose origins predate the rise of Christianity by a couple thousand years, also governed time and cycles, so naturally death is part of that circle of life. Anyway, over time this "god of death" was taken out of context and the number associated with her somehow became evil.

[petrym]

To me, 13 is just another prime number.

Peace :)

[danger boy]

the only bad thing that happen to me on Friday the 13th.. was I bought my first new car on Friday the 13th.. and i rolled it and totalled it... was it because i bought it on Friday the 13 or just coincidence?

btw it was years ago.. it was a decked out 1984 Mazda RX7-GSL leather everything, Zoom Zoom

[RuSsMaN]

Yeah, that Jason guy will kill your ass. Dead.

[Mjr7531]

Kinda funny, my graduation date next year is 06-06-06, excuse while I don't walk under this ladder, avoid the mirrors in my house, dispose of the black cat, and spit on the broom someone just dragged across my feet.

[cfrizz]

Or perhaps just perhaps it got totalled because you were driving too fast in your hot rod car, & it just happened to be Friday the 13th?

Whadaya think?:D ;)


Originally posted by danger boy
the only bad thing that happen to me on Friday the 13th.. was I bought my first new car on Friday the 13th.. and i rolled it and totalled it... was it because i bought it on Friday the 13 or just coincidence?

[Paul in Canada]

The number 13 is my favorite number. When I played high school hockey I wore 13. I got my first real job on Friday the 13th. My first date with my wife was on a Friday the 13th. And we got married on a Saturday the 13th. I bought a ticket for tonights lottery draw for 20 mill.

[weavercr]

And BRAC releases there recomedations and lets thousands know that their job is ending on Friday the 13TH.

yes, I am on the closed list. South Naval engineering command.

[Ron-P]

The near-tragic Apollo 13 mission is a famous 20th century example of bad things coming in "13's".

1. The mission was launched on April 11, 1970 at 2:13pm E.S.T.
2. The spacecraft of the 13th Apollo mission sustained heavy damage on April 13, 1970.
3. The event that lead to the oxygen tank explosion (turning on power fans within the tank) began at about 10:06pm E.S.T. on April 13, 1970. It is speculated that the tank blew seven minutes later at 10:13pm E.S.T.

A series of unfortunate coincidences, nothing more.

[PolkThug]

Originally posted by unc2701
Interestingly, they found some third- and fourth-century versions of the Book of Revelations, and there was no 666... it was 616 in the first writings. Oops.

see:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/04/0425_050425_papyrus.html

Thanks for the link, I find Christian mythology intriguing.


Camp Crystal Lake rules!

[Tour2ma]

Not taking any chances... I've bubblewrapped my self until midnight...

[shack]

Originally posted by Tour2ma
I've bubblewrapped my self until midnight...
You've been hanging around Doro haven't you? Of course he does this on a regular basis...just for fun.

[Strong Bad]

Ever wonder why office buildings don't have a floor 13?

More interesting reading here:

http://www.answers.com/topic/thirteenth-floor


Happy Friday the 13th everyone!


John