Today is Friday the 13th and I wanted to research why this day is considered to be unlucky. It seems that we don’t really know where this superstition came from. There are theories about it being linked to the Last Supper or the Knights Templar but there is nothing concrete that points to its true origin. Instead it seems to have just taken on a life of its own.
The superstitions around Friday the 13th have gone on to spawn one of the most popular horror movie franchises of all time even being named after the day, Friday the 13th. There are now a dozen movies based on the main character Jason Voorhees. I don’t know much more about this series because I don’t do scary movies; never have, never will.
What I did find out about Friday the 13th, the date, is that there is an actual fear of this day. The phobia is known as Paraskavedektriaphobia, and no I don’t know how to actually pronounce that. While I don’t know anyone that has this phobia, I can confirm that there are some superstitious people when it comes to this date. In my time as a surgery scheduling coordinator I had many people decline to have surgery on Friday the 13th because that would be unlucky.
My grandma did not have this phobia, in fact Friday the 13th was her favorite day. Her birthday fell on the 13th of January and she would have been elated to know that my son was born on Friday the 13th two years ago in March.
I am personally not a very superstitious person; maybe a little stitious as the joke goes, especially when it comes to sports. As far as Friday the 13th goes I don’t have any concerns about the day, instead will always remember it fondly as my grandma’s favorite day and my son’s birthday, that is as long as I don’t encounter Jason lurking in the shadows somewhere.
DividuusOne 