Archives for October 2006

It’s Friday the 13th today and I’m wondering how many of you have superstitions about this supposedly unlucky day?

When I first started writing this I was going to tell you that I’m not a superstitious person, but that was before I lost my post! I had finished the whole post and I clicked the “Save and Continue Editing” button. Nothing much happened for a while, then I got the dreaded WordPress White Screen telling me that something was wrong with my wordpress files or perhaps my server. My bet is that it was the servers that host my sites since they seem to go down for a few minutes each night lately.

Having lost my original post has made me a little bit superstitious. You see, I have never ever lost a post before. Yet, on a Friday the 13th I end up losing my first post. I don’t think this is a coincidence, do you?

I was going to tell you that I wasn’t going to be careful today. That I wouldn’t care if a black cat crossed my path, or if I broke a mirror. But I’m not going to say that now. No, no. Not now. I’ve already had one unlucky happening today! What else could happen if I’m not careful? Anything!

I think maybe I’ll just take my cue and stay in today. Well, it’s really cold outside anyways – it’s 0 Celsius, or for you Americans that’s 32 F. I can’t believe how cold it is for this time of year. Oh it just occurred to me that since that’s unusual that it must be another bad luck occurrence right?

What are you going to do today? Are you going to be a extra careful or just go about your day as you normally would? Do you have any favorite things that you do on a Friday the 13th such as going out to see the latest horror movie release or watching some scary movies at home? Maybe a Friday the 13th party?

I decided to go looking for some information about Friday the 13th and I found out that our superstitions about Friday the 13th might have come about because a number of tragic events in history have occurred on Fridays.

Wikipedia:

There have been a number of events known as “Black Fridays“ in history. Usually, these events are devastating. Some historians propose that the origin of the “Black Friday” was the simultaneous arrest of hundreds of Knights Templars on October 13, 1307 (Friday), to be later tortured into admitting heresy.

Is Friday the 13th really an unlucky day?

Strangely, there is evidence to suggest that Friday the 13th is actually unlucky. Psychologists have found that some people are especially likely to have accidents or fall ill on Friday the 13th. This has been attributed to such people feeling a heightened state of anxiety on that day (see nocebo effect). The Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, North Carolina estimates that in the United States alone, $800 or $900 million is lost in business each Friday the 13th because some people will not travel or go to work.

The date is also well-known in the motorcycle (biker) community: since 1981, motorcycle enthusiasts and vendors gather every Friday the 13th in Port Dover, Ontario, Canada. This tradition started on November 13, 1981 by Chris Simons as a gathering of approximately 25 friends. The event has grown substantially, with an estimated 100,000 people attending in August 2004, as well as music bands, vendors, a bike show, etc.

In the Spanish-speaking world, it is Tuesday the 13th (as well as Tuesdays in general) that brings bad luck; a proverb runs En martes, ni te cases ni te embarques (on Tuesday, neither get married nor start a journey).

I’m generally not a superstitious person, nor am I anxious, but given the information that I’ve found perhaps I will be just a bit more careful today. After all, I’ve had two very bad falls this year and I’m probably due for another one before the year ends. How ironic would it be if it happened today?

Tell me how you feel about Friday the 13th and if you have any superstitions or if you’ve had any odd or unlucky things happen to you on previous Friday the 13ths. Maybe I’ll make another post with the results of your replies.

Have a safe Friday!