Just realised that it's Friday 13th, October today. The so-called unluckiest of unlucky days!

I suddenly became curious about the origins of this Friday 13th day being unlucky and I did a search with Google. Here's what I found,

1. Hundreds of Knights Templars was arrested and tortured into admitting heresay on October 13, 1307.

2. Dossey, also a folklore historian and author of Holiday Folklore, Phobias and Fun, said fear of Friday the 13th is rooted in ancient, separate bad-luck associations with the number 13 and the day Friday. The two unlucky entities ultimately combined to make one super unlucky day.

3. There is also a biblical reference to the unlucky number 13. Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th guest to the Last Supper.

4. According to Fernsler, numerologists consider 12 a "complete" number. There are 12 months in a year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 tribes of Israel, and 12 apostles of Jesus. In exceeding 12 by 1, Fernsler said 13's association with bad luck "has to do with just being a little beyond completeness. The number becomes restless or squirmy."

And get this... the fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia. This is a specialized form of triskaidekaphobia which is a phobia of the number thirteen.

Paraskavedekatriaphobia... well if I'm going for a spelling bee contest, I'll definitely develop a phobia. That word is unpronounceable!

Labels: Ramblings