Weird NewsArts and Entertainmentunited statesspirituality

Friday The 13th Is An Unlucky Day To Have Friggatriskaidekaphobia

Cross your fingers that you don't step on a crack.
Open Image Modal
By 

Senior Reporter, HuffPost

Friday the 13th isn’t an unlucky day ― unless you have “friggatriskaidekaphobia.”

That’s the term psychologists give the small number people who are afraid of Friday the 13th. It’s named after Frigga, the Norse goddess for whom “Friday” is named, and triskaidekaphobia, meaning fear of the number thirteen.

If being labeled with that term scares you, you can say you suffer from “paraskevidekatriaphobia.”

Learning to pronounce either term is the first step to recovery.

Although there are probably more people who fear the release of yet another “Friday the 13th” film, a substantial number of people are nevertheless worried about Friday the 13th, the date.

 A 2011 study by the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, North Carolina, suggests an estimated 17 to 21 million people in the United States are affected by a fear of this day.

The man behind the study, Dr. Donald Dossey, told National Geographic in 2004 that the fear of one calendar quirk can have a serious impact on the economy.

“It’s been estimated that $800 or $900 million is lost in business on this day because people will not fly or do business they would normally do,” Dossey said. 

Why fear about a simple number like 13? 

University of Delaware mathematician Thomas Fernsler said the number 13 has long been considered unlucky because it is not 12.

Apparently, numerologists considered 12 to a “complete number” because it represents the number of months in a year, the gods of Olympus, the tribes of Israel and the apostles of Jesus.

The two unlucky entities ― Friday and the number 13 ― only became connected about 148 years ago when Henry Sutherland Edwards wrote in a biography of composer Gioachino Rossini:

Rossini was surrounded to the last by admiring and affectionate friends; Why Friday the 13th Is Unlucky. 

There have been some unlucky events that just happened to have occurred on a Friday the 13th.

French King Philip IV rounded up hundreds of monks and tortured them for admitting to heresy on Friday, Oct.13, 1307, and on Friday, March 13 in 1992, an earthquake in Turkey killed nearly 2,000 and left 50,000 homeless.

Friday the 13th isn’t unlucky for everyone. Celebrities born on an October 13 that fell on a Friday include “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” actress Melinda Dillon (1939); Robert Lamm, the keyboardist of Chicago (1944); “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Private Practice” star Kate Walsh (1967) and baseball great Trevor Hoffman (1967).

If you do suffer from friggatriskaidekaphobia, or at least the fear of mispronouncing it, take heart: This is the last Friday the 13th of 2017 and the next one doesn’t happen again until next April.

Before You Go

Friday The 13th: 13 Wacky Superstitions From Around The World
The Key To Youth: Carry An Acorn(01 of13)
Open Image Modal
Centuries ago in Britain, women would keep acorns in their pockets with the belief that doing so would help them maintain a youthful appearance. According to the Encyclopedia of Superstitions, the oak tree symbolized longevity and health because of its incredibly long life-cycle and sturdiness. (credit:Getty)
For Good Luck, Befriend a Goat(02 of13)
Open Image Modal
For thousands of years, the goat has been negatively associated with debauchery, lust and sin. However, it is also believed to absorb -- and ward off -- any evil or harm that a human may encounter. So next time you and a goat cross paths, consider yourself lucky. (credit:Getty)
On New Year’s Eve, Eat Grapes At Midnight (03 of13)
Open Image Modal
Not everyone in the world makes champagne toasts or kisses a sweetheart when the clock strikes twelve on New Year’s Eve. In Spain, the superstitious eat twelve grapes at midnight in order to guarantee a year of good luck. (credit:Getty )
Don't Chew Gum At Night(04 of13)
Open Image Modal
You might want to think twice about grabbing that stick of Trident after sundown. According to Turkish folklore, many believe that chewing gum at night symbolizes chomping on the flesh of the dead. Not so minty fresh after all. (credit:Getty )
Passing A Graveyard? Tuck In Those Thumbs(05 of13)
Open Image Modal
According to folklore in Japan, if you walk by a graveyard -- or if a hearse passes you on the street -- you must immediately tuck your thumbs in to safeguard your parents’ well-being. The reason behind the superstition: the Japanese word for thumb literally translates to "parent-finger,” so by concealing your thumbs, you are therefore protecting Mom and Dad from harm or death. (credit:AP)
Stay Indoors During A Solar Eclipse (06 of13)
Open Image Modal
In India, people stay indoors for the duration of a solar eclipse due to the widely believed myth that the sun's rays during the celestial event are toxic and dangerous. All manner of activity in the country slows down -- from road traffic to business affairs -- since so many citizens fear the harmful affects from the eerily altered sun exposure. (credit:Getty)
Never Kiss A Baby On The Lips (07 of13)
Open Image Modal
According to ancient legend in Nigeria, kissing an infant on the lips is a bad omen, in that this gesture will allegedly cause the baby to drool once it grows into adulthood. Better to plant those pecks on the baby’s cheek or button-nose. (credit:Getty)
Bird Poop Means Good Fortune(08 of13)
Open Image Modal
For most folks, a bird defecating on you (or anywhere near you) is a certified bummer. In Russia, however, if a bird lets loose on you or your property, it is commonly held as a sign of good fortune. One theory behind this superstition: the belief that when you suffer an inconvenience (like, um, getting pooped on by a bird), it’s an indication of heavenly wealth and balance, and you'll have good fortune in return. (credit:autocosmeticsolutions.com)
Spill Some Water For Good Measure(09 of13)
Open Image Modal
In Serbia, friends and family will spill water behind a person who is about to embark on a journey or a major endeavor, as the movement of the liquid is widely believed to symbolize fluidity, motion and good fortune. (credit:Getty)
Avoid Knitting On Your Doorstep(10 of13)
Open Image Modal
In Iceland, an old wives tale dictates that knitting on your doorstep during the later months of the calendar year is forbidden, “as that is known to lengthen the winter.” (credit:Getty)
Ward Off The Witches(11 of13)
Open Image Modal
In Vermont farmhouses dating back to the 19th century, many homes still have diagonally installed windows known as "witch windows," due to an old superstition that witches did not have the ability to fly through such slanted openings. (credit:www.realmagick.com)
Don't Eat Lettuce If You Want To Have Children(12 of13)
Open Image Modal
According to The Oxford Dictionary of Superstitions, in 19th century England, men avoided salads not because they didn’t like their veggies, but because lettuce was commonly believed to be a “sterile plant,” detrimental to childbearing. (credit:Getty)
Was That an Awkward Silence -- Or An Angel Passing Overhead?(13 of13)
Open Image Modal
In “Portrait of the Artist,” Dylan Thomas wrote, “A host of angels must be passing by… what a silence there is!” Many people have continued to attribute a lull in conversation to this same spiritual phenomenon, including the French, who use the phrase "ange passe" whenever there is an unexpected silence during chitchat. (credit:Getty)
Suggest a correction
|
Submit a tip