Do You Fear Friday the 13th?

By Sherri Lonon

Long before Hollywood decided to scare the pants off moviegoers with Jason Voorhees’ murderous rampage in Friday the 13th, the date was surrounded by superstition and distrust.

Some call it unlucky; others outright fear its arrival.

Why?

Here are five fun facts that might help shed some light on the hoopla:

• Friday is a Bad Luck Day: The reasons for this are mysterious, according to Snopes.com.  Even so, it’s clear that Fridays have been clouded by an air of distrust for centuries. Some believe the Crucifixion took place on a Friday; others say that’s when Eve handed over the apple to Adam.  Whatever the case, Snopes.com points out warnings against Fridays that date back to the 1600s in its piece about Friday the 13th.
• 13 Has Its Own Ominous Air: The number 13 on its own has long been feared. The Huffington Post proposes its unlucky reputation arises out of the fact that it’s one digit past the “perfect number 12.”  There are 12 apostles of Christ, 12 months in a year, 12 hours on a clock. All of that good, it seems, adds up to the No. 13 being bad.
• The Date Has Presidential Ties: Huffington Post author Dr. Franklin Ruehl, Ph.D., points out that Friday the 13th (or just the number 13) is associated with some fairly famous names in history. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt seems to have feared the number 13. He wouldn’t travel on the 13th of a month – Friday or not. He also refused to host a party with only 13 guests.
• Infamous Associations with Friday the 13th: Butch Cassidy and Fidel Castro were both born on Friday the 13th, in different years, of course, according to Ruehl’s piece on the Huffington Post.
• There’s a Name for That: Do you fear Friday the 13th? Science has a name for that. The phobia has been coined “paraskevidekatriaphobia,” according to ABC News.

So, Cumming, what do you think about the hoopla surrounding Friday the 13th? Tell us by commenting below! 

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