Today is Friday the 13th, and many people will be nervously watching everything around them and their own actions. They don’t want to end up Dead or worse, be Cursed. But where does our superstition surrounding this day, known as paraskevidekatriaphobia (fear of Friday the thirteenth), originate from? Stay tuned and you will find out.
Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day in Western superstition. It occurs when the 13th day of the month in the Gregorian calendar falls on a Friday, which happens at least once every year but can occur up to three times in the same year—for example, in 2015, the 13th fell on a Friday in February, March, and November. 2017 through 2020 will all have two Friday the 13ths, and the years 2021 and 2022 will have just one occurrence each.
The origins of Triskaidekaphobia – the fear of the number 13 – could be traced back to the 19th century belief that Judas Iscariot sat in the 13th place at Jesus’s table at the Last Supper.
PAINTING BY LEONARDO DA VINCI VIA GETTY IMAGES
Along with Jesus, there were 12 disciples at this meal, and Judas has come to represent betrayal and bad luck in Western societies. Even if there is no direct biblical evidence linking Judas to the 13th place at the table, the number of guests at the Last Supper and its significance in the Christian religion could have been enough to cement the idea of 13 as an unlucky number in Western cultures, particularly if this idea was promoted by the superstitious Victorians. (Independent UK) https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/friday-the-13th-where-does-it-come-from-and-why-do-we-still-care-a7027366.html
Matthew 26:17-30
The Last Supper
17 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”
18 He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’” 19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.
20 When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. 21 And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”
22 They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?”
23 Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
25 Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely you don’t mean me, Rabbi?”
Jesus answered, “You have said so.”
26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the[a] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. (The King James Bible)
One of the most popularized myths attempting to explain the origin of the Friday 13 superstition stems from events on Friday 13 October 1307, when hundreds of Knights Templar were arrested and burnt across France. https://www.historytoday.com/archive/knights-templar-arrested-france
Who Are the Knights Templar? | Knightfall | History
Trial of The Knights Templar (Secrets of the Cross Documentary) | Timeline
Given the Bad luck and awful History of Friday the 13th, It is no surprise that they made Horror Movies out of it. On May 9th in 1980 Movie Producer and Director Sean S. Cunningham made us Fear Camp Crystal Lake.
Friday the 13th was a major box office success, grossing over $59.8 million worldwide. Critical response was divided, with some praising the film’s cinematography, score, and performances, while numerous others derided it for its depiction of graphic violence. Aside from being the first independent film of its kind to secure distribution in the U.S. by a major studio, its box office success led to a long series of sequels, a crossover with A Nightmare on Elm Street, and a 2009 series reboot. (Wikipedia) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_the_13th_(1980_film)
Friday the 13th – 1980 trailer
If you have to pick just one Friday the 13th to watch to celebrate the holiday, the first one might not actually be the best option, as Jason Voorhees famously isn’t even the villain in it. A better choice might be Friday the 13th Part 2, which is one of the best in the series and features the debut of Jason as the antagonist (although he doesn’t actually get his hockey mask until the third film). Otherwise, the Friday the 13th 2009 reboot is actually a fairly good place to start, as it delivers everything you need to know about the series and is a highly enjoyable reimagining that will likely inspire you to check out the originals afterwards. (Cheat sheet) https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/how-where-to-watch-friday-13th-movies-online.html/
The first 8 films are also currently included to stream free with your Amazon Prime membership! No sign of the remake, Jason Goes To Hell, Jason X, or Freddy vs. Jason, sadly, but hey. This is a great start! https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/offers/ref=dvm_us_dl_sl_go_bre_pv3%7Cc_283448910618_m_6r3lMFYx-dc_s__?ie=UTF8&gclid=Cj0KCQjwu6fzBRC6ARIsAJUwa2R7OnZ00hHFSe4c4iSK_rIp6TBXQb_gN5Tg-z0OZmGJM7xyY-cgtmIaAuSUEALw_wcB
To watch Friday the 13th for free now, click the link below.
http://www.allgenmovies.com/friday-the-13th–1980-
10 Things You Didn’t Know About Friday The 13th (1980)
Why Friday the 13th Is a Very Lucky Day, Indeed!
Up until the patriarchal revolution, both Fridays and 13s were held in the very highest esteem. Both the day and the number were associated with the Great Goddesses, and therefore, regarded as the sacred essence of luck and good fortune. Friday was associated with the early Mother Creation Goddesses for whom that day was named. In Anglo-Saxon, Scandinavian, Icelandic, and Teutonic cultures She was called variously, Freya, Freia, Freyja, Fir, Frea and Frig. Friday is Frig’s Day, Frigedaeg, in Old English, Fredag in Danish, Freitag in Dutch. In Mediterranean lands, She reigned as Venus. In Latin, Friday is the Day of Venus, Dies Veneris; Vendredi in French, Venerdi in Italian and Viernes in Spanish.
Friday the 13th is ultimately the celebration of the lives and loves of Lady Luck. On this, Her doubly-dedicated day, let us consider what fortuitous coincidences constitute our fate. The lucky blend of just the right conditions, chemistries, elements, and energies that comprise our universe. The way it all works. The way we are. That we are at all. That, despite whatever major or minor matters we might think are unlucky, we have somehow managed to remain alive and aware. This Friday the 13th, let us stand in full consciousness of the miraculousness of existence and count our blessings. Thank Goddess! Knock on wood! https://www.huffpost.com/entry/friday-13th_b_1418812
Superstitions are also thrown into Friday the 13th. People become worried about everything they do on this day. So naturally, we will look into the many different Superstitions you need to know about to survive this day.
Definition of superstition
1a: a belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, trust in magic or chance, or a false conception of causation
b: an irrational abject attitude of mind toward the supernatural, nature, or God resulting from superstition
Amazing Things That Happened on a Friday the 13th
Uncle Sam cartoon figure made its debut in the New York Lantern weekly On March 13, 1852
Uncle Sam made his illustrated debut in 1852, and quickly became the symbol of the United States. This famous poster dates from World War I. (National Geographic) https://www.nationalgeographic.org/thisday/mar13/uncle-sam-makes-his-illustrated-debut/
Uranus discovered
March 13, 1781. The seventh planet – Uranus – was discovered on this date, completely by accident. British astronomer William Herschel was performing a survey of all stars of at least magnitude 8 – stars slightly too faint to be seen with the eye alone, in other words. That’s when he noticed a very faint object – only barely above the limit for viewing with the eye – that that moved in front of the fixed stars. This movement clearly demonstrated the object was closer to us than the stars. At first he thought he had found a comet. Later, he and others realized it was a new planet in orbit around our sun, the first new planet discovered since ancient times.
Astronomers later learned they had observed Uranus as far back as 1690. They’d just never really noticed it before. It was Herschel who first realized the true nature of this distant light in our sky. Herschel proposed to name the object Georgium Sidus, after King George III, but those outside of Britain weren’t pleased with the idea. Instead, on the suggestion of astronomer Johann Elert Bode, astronomers decided to follow the convention of naming planets for the ancient gods.
Uranus – an ancient sky god, and one of the earliest gods in Greek mythology – was sometimes called Father Sky and was considered to be the son and husband of Gaia, or Mother Earth.King George III was pleased, whatever the name. As a result of Herschel’s discovery, the king knighted him and appointed him to the position of court astronomer. The pension attached let Herschel quit his day job as a musician and focus his full attention on observing the heavens. He went on to discover several moons around other gas giant planets. He also compiled a catalog of 2,500 celestial objects that’s still in use today. (Earth Sky) https://earthsky.org/space/this-date-in-science-uranus-discovered-completely-by-accident
To learn even more about Uranus, please click the link. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/uranus/overview/
DINOSAUR EGG DISCOVERY // JULY 1923
While hunting fossils for the American Museum of Natural History at Mongolia’s Flaming Cliffs, an expedition team led by Roy Chapman Andrews discovered the first scientifically recognized dinosaur egg fossils. He had gone there to try to find the missing link between apes and mankind, so this was a doozy of a consolation prize.
WELCOME TO HOLLYWOODLAND // JULY 1923
A giant group of letters was inaugurated in Griffith Park, Los Angeles, to signify a housing development owned by H.J. Whitley called Hollywoodland. Today, it’s one of the most recognizable landmarks even though it long ago lost its “land.”
TENNESSEE OUTLAWS EVOLUTION // MARCH 1925
It was an unlucky day for Darwin when the Tennessee Senate voted to prohibit Evolutionary Theory from public universities and schools. The law was deemed constitutional by the Tennessee Supreme Court during the famed Scopes Monkey Trial and wasn’t struck down until 1967.
THE BRITISH INTERPLANETARY SOCIETY // OCTOBER 1933
We may have landed people on the moon in 1969, but people have been dreaming of the stars since long before then. The British Interplanetary Society, the oldest space advocacy group in the world, was founded to boost public awareness of astronautics. Its most famous chairman? None other than Arthur C. Clarke.
HUGHES H-1 RACER SETS A WORLD AIRSPEED RECORD // SEPTEMBER 1935
Now residing at the National Air and Space Museum, the Hughes H-1 Racer spent an illustrious Friday the 13th in 1935 setting a world airspeed record (567 kph/352 mph). Designed by the legendary Howard Hughes and Richard Palmer, it was the last privately owned aircraft to break the world airspeed record.
THE FIRST HEAVY METAL ALBUM DEBUTS // FEBRUARY 1970
Marked by many music experts as the official birth of heavy metal, Black Sabbath’s eponymous album was released on an appropriately dangerous Friday the 13th in 1970. A remarkably good omen for everyone who wanted to board the crazy train.
WE ALL GET TO PLAY SUPER MARIO BROS. // SEPTEMBER 1985
Undoubtedly one of the most famous video games of all time—and a mega-franchise-launcher and anchor for Nintendo—Super Mario Bros. was released on a fireball-throwing Friday the 13th. It makes sense; it’s a day when many superstitious people refuse to go outside. Play the game for free online at this link. https://www.retrogames.cz/play_005-NES.php?language=EN
The above facts were taken from Mental Floss. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/90720/13-amazing-things-happened-friday-13th
See it wasn’t always a bad day! So, in all actuality, Friday the 13th is what you make of it. If you choose to believe that you will be cursed with Bad luck, you will. If you see it for all the good things the day brought, you will have a Good day. It’s all in your Perception! I hope you have enjoyed this post. Please feel free to; Like, share, leave me a Comment, and if you are so inclined, Subscribe.
Angelika's World 