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* In [[numerology]], the number twelve is considered the number of completeness, as reflected in the twelve months of the year, twelve hours of the [[clock]], twelve [[Twelve Olympians|gods of Olympus]], twelve [[Israelites|tribes of Israel]], [[twelve Apostles]] of [[Jesus]], [[12 imams|the 12 successors of Muhammad in Shia Islam]], etc., whereas the number thirteen was considered irregular, transgressing this completeness. There is also a superstition, thought by some to derive from the [[Last Supper]] or a [[Norse mythology|Norse myth]], that having thirteen people seated at a table will result in the death of one of the diners.
* In [[numerology]], the number twelve is considered the number of completeness, as reflected in the twelve months of the year, twelve hours of the [[clock]], twelve [[Twelve Olympians|gods of Olympus]], twelve [[Israelites|tribes of Israel]], [[twelve Apostles]] of [[Jesus]], [[12 imams|the 12 successors of Muhammad in Shia Islam]], etc., whereas the number thirteen was considered irregular, transgressing this completeness. There is also a superstition, thought by some to derive from the [[Last Supper]] or a [[Norse mythology|Norse myth]], that having thirteen people seated at a table will result in the death of one of the diners.
* [[Friday]] has been considered an unlucky day at least since the 14th century's ''[[The Canterbury Tales]]'',<ref name="mathworld"/> and many other professions have regarded Friday as an unlucky day to undertake journeys, begin new projects or deploy releases in production. [[Black Friday (shopping)|Black Friday]] has been associated with stock market crashes and other disasters since the 1800s.<ref name=western/><ref name=Snopes>{{cite web |url= http://www.snopes.com/luck/friday13.asp |title=Friday the 13th |accessdate=2007-03-26 |work=snopes.com}}</ref>
* [[Friday]] has been considered an unlucky day at least since the 14th century's ''[[The Canterbury Tales]]'',<ref name="mathworld"/> and many other professions have regarded Friday as an unlucky day to undertake journeys, begin new projects or deploy releases in production. [[Black Friday (shopping)|Black Friday]] has been associated with stock market crashes and other disasters since the 1800s.<ref name=western/><ref name=Snopes>{{cite web |url= http://www.snopes.com/luck/friday13.asp |title=Friday the 13th |accessdate=2007-03-26 |work=snopes.com}}</ref>
* One author, noting that references are all but nonexistent before 1907 but frequently seen thereafter, has argued that its popularity derives from the publication that year of [[Thomas W. Lawson (businessman)|Thomas W. Lawson]]'s popular novel ''Friday, the Thirteenth'',<ref>{{cite web|author=Thomas W. Lawson |url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/12345/12345-h/12345-h.htm |title=Thomas W. Lawson, '&#39;Friday, the Thirteenth'&#39; (1907) |publisher=Gutenberg.org |date= |accessdate=2011-05-13}}</ref> in which an unscrupulous [[broker]] takes advantage of the superstition to create a [[Wall Street]] panic on a Friday the 13th.<ref name=Lachenmeyer/> Records of the superstition are rarely found before the 20th century, when it became extremely common.The connection between the Friday the 13th superstition and the Knights Templar was popularized in the 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code. On Friday, 13 October 1307, hundreds of the Knights Templar were arrested in France, an action apparently motivated financially and undertaken by the efficient royal bureaucracy to increase the prestige of the crown. Philip IV was the force behind this ruthless move, but it has also tarnished the historical reputation of Clement V. From the very day of Clement V's coronation, the king falsely charged the Templars with heresy, immorality and abuses, and the scruples of the Pope were compromised by a growing sense that the burgeoning French State might not wait for the Church, but would proceed independently. [7]
* One author, noting that references are all but nonexistent before 1907 but frequently seen thereafter, has argued that its popularity derives from the publication that year of [[Thomas W. Lawson (businessman)|Thomas W. Lawson]]'s popular novel ''Friday, the Thirteenth'',<ref>{{cite web|author=Thomas W. Lawson |url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/12345/12345-h/12345-h.htm |title=Thomas W. Lawson, '&#39;Friday, the Thirteenth'&#39; (1907) |publisher=Gutenberg.org |date= |accessdate=2011-05-13}}</ref> in which an unscrupulous [[broker]] takes advantage of the superstition to create a [[Wall Street]] panic on a Friday the 13th.<ref name=Lachenmeyer/> Records of the superstition are rarely found before the 20th century, when it became extremely common.The connection between the Friday the 13th superstition and the Knights Templar was popularized in the 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code. On Friday, 13 October 1307, hundreds of the Knights Templar were arrested in France, an action apparently motivated financially and undertaken by the efficient royal bureaucracy to increase the prestige of the crown. Philip IV was the force behind this ruthless move, but it has also tarnished the historical reputation of Clement V. From the very day of Clement V's coronation, the king falsely charged the Templars with heresy, immorality and abuses, and the scruples of the Pope were compromised by a growing sense that the burgeoning French State might not wait for the Church, but would proceed independently. <ref>{{cite book |last=Howarth |first=Stephen |title=The Knights Templar |publisher=Barnes and Noble |date = 1992 |isbn=9780880296632}}</ref>

The connection between the Friday the 13th superstition and the [[Knights Templar]] was popularized in the 2003 novel ''[[The Da Vinci Code]]''. On Friday, 13 October 1307, hundreds of the Knights Templar were arrested in France, an action apparently motivated financially and undertaken by the efficient royal bureaucracy to increase the prestige of the crown. Philip IV was the force behind this ruthless move, but it has also tarnished the historical reputation of Clement V. From the very day of Clement V's coronation, the king falsely charged the Templars with heresy, immorality and abuses, and the scruples of the Pope were compromised by a growing sense that the burgeoning French State might not wait for the Church, but would proceed independently. <ref>{{cite book |last=Howarth |first=Stephen |title=The Knights Templar |publisher=Barnes and Noble |date = 1992 |isbn=9780880296632}}</ref>


However, experts agree that this is a relatively recent correlation, and most likely a modern-day invention. Although according to some, this date corresponds with the arrest of the [[Knights Templar]] by King Philip IV of France.<ref name=mathworld/><ref name="Snopes"/><ref name=why>{{cite web|url=http://urbanlegends.about.com/cs/historical/a/friday_the_13th_4.htm |title=Why Friday the 13th Is Unlucky |publisher=Urbanlegends.about.com |date= |accessdate=2011-05-13}}</ref>
However, experts agree that this is a relatively recent correlation, and most likely a modern-day invention. Although according to some, this date corresponds with the arrest of the [[Knights Templar]] by King Philip IV of France.<ref name=mathworld/><ref name="Snopes"/><ref name=why>{{cite web|url=http://urbanlegends.about.com/cs/historical/a/friday_the_13th_4.htm |title=Why Friday the 13th Is Unlucky |publisher=Urbanlegends.about.com |date= |accessdate=2011-05-13}}</ref>

Revision as of 03:07, 13 April 2012

This article is about the superstition. For other uses, see Friday the 13th (disambiguation).

Friday the 13th is a date considered to be bad luck in western superstition.

Friday the 13th in the calendar

History

Rossini by Henri Grevedon

According to folklorists, there is no written evidence for a "Friday the 13th" superstition before the 19th century.[1][2][3] The earliest known documented reference in English occurs in Henry Sutherland Edwards' 1869 biography of Gioachino Rossini:

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

Consequently, several theories have been proposed about the origin of the Friday the 13th superstition.

One theory states that it is a modern amalgamation of two older superstitions: that thirteen is an unlucky number and that Friday is an unlucky day.

  • In numerology, the number twelve is considered the number of completeness, as reflected in the twelve months of the year, twelve hours of the clock, twelve gods of Olympus, twelve tribes of Israel, twelve Apostles of Jesus, the 12 successors of Muhammad in Shia Islam, etc., whereas the number thirteen was considered irregular, transgressing this completeness. There is also a superstition, thought by some to derive from the Last Supper or a Norse myth, that having thirteen people seated at a table will result in the death of one of the diners.
  • Friday has been considered an unlucky day at least since the 14th century's The Canterbury Tales,[4] and many other professions have regarded Friday as an unlucky day to undertake journeys, begin new projects or deploy releases in production. Black Friday has been associated with stock market crashes and other disasters since the 1800s.[3][5]
  • One author, noting that references are all but nonexistent before 1907 but frequently seen thereafter, has argued that its popularity derives from the publication that year of Thomas W. Lawson's popular novel Friday, the Thirteenth,[6] in which an unscrupulous broker takes advantage of the superstition to create a Wall Street panic on a Friday the 13th.[1] Records of the superstition are rarely found before the 20th century, when it became extremely common.The connection between the Friday the 13th superstition and the Knights Templar was popularized in the 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code. On Friday, 13 October 1307, hundreds of the Knights Templar were arrested in France, an action apparently motivated financially and undertaken by the efficient royal bureaucracy to increase the prestige of the crown. Philip IV was the force behind this ruthless move, but it has also tarnished the historical reputation of Clement V. From the very day of Clement V's coronation, the king falsely charged the Templars with heresy, immorality and abuses, and the scruples of the Pope were compromised by a growing sense that the burgeoning French State might not wait for the Church, but would proceed independently. [7]

However, experts agree that this is a relatively recent correlation, and most likely a modern-day invention. Although according to some, this date corresponds with the arrest of the Knights Templar by King Philip IV of France.[4][5][8]

Phobia Names and Etymology

The fear of Friday the 13th has been called friggatriskaidekaphobia (Frigga being the name of the Norse goddess for whom "Friday" is named and triskaidekaphobia meaning fear of the number thirteen), or paraskevidekatriaphobia[9][10] a concatenation of the Greek words Paraskeví (Παρασκευή, meaning "Friday"), and dekatreís (δεκατρείς, meaning "thirteen") attached to phobía (φοβία, from phóbos, φόβος, meaning "fear"). The latter word was derived in 1911[citation needed] and first appeared in a mainstream source in 1953.[4]

Tuesday the 13th

In Spanish-speaking countries, instead of Friday, Tuesday the 13th (martes trece) is considered a day of bad luck.[11]

The Greeks also consider Tuesday (and especially the 13th) to be an unlucky day. Tuesday is considered to be dominated by the influence of Ares (Mars), the god of war. A connection can be seen in the etymology of the name in some European languages (Mardi in French or martes in Spanish). The Fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans happened on Tuesday, May 29, 1453, fact that strengthens the superstition about Tuesday. In addition, in Greek the name of the day is Triti (Τρίτη) meaning literally the third (day of the week), adding weight to the superstition, since bad luck is said to "come in threes".

Friday the 17th

In Italian popular culture, Friday the 17th (and not the 13th) is considered a day of bad luck.[12] In fact, in Italy, 13 is generally considered a lucky number.[13] However, due to Anglo-Saxon influence, young people consider Friday the 13th to be unlucky as well.[14]
The 2000 parody film Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth was released in Italy with the title Shriek – Hai impegni per venerdì 17? ("Shriek – Do You Have Something to Do on Friday the 17th?").

Social impact

According to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, North Carolina, an estimated 17 to 21 million people in the United States are affected by a fear of this day making it the most feared day and date in history. Some people are so paralyzed by fear that they avoid their normal routines in doing business, taking flights or even getting out of bed. "It's been estimated that [US]$800 or $900 million is lost in business on this day".[2] Despite this, representatives for both Delta Air Lines and Continental Airlines say that their airlines do not suffer from any noticeable drop in travel on those Fridays.[15]

Rate of accidents

The Dutch Centre for Insurance Statistics (CVS) on June 12, 2008, stated that "fewer accidents and reports of fire and theft occur when the 13th of the month falls on a Friday than on other Fridays, because people are preventatively more careful or just stay home. Statistically speaking, driving is slightly safer on Friday the 13th, at least in the Netherlands; in the last two years, Dutch insurers received reports of an average 7,800 traffic accidents each Friday; but the average figure when the 13th fell on a Friday was just 7,500."[16][17]

Occurrence

The following months have a Friday the 13th:

Month Years Dominical
letter
January 1978, 1984, 1989, 1995, 2006, 2012, 2017, 2023 A, AG
February 1976, 1981, 1987, 1998, 2004, 2009, 2015, 2026 D, DC
March 1981, 1987, 1992, 1998, 2009, 2015, 2020, 2026 D, ED
April 1973, 1979, 1984, 1990, 2001, 2007, 2012, 2018 G, AG
May 1977, 1983, 1988, 1994, 2005, 2011, 2016, 2022 B, CB
June 1975, 1980, 1986, 1997, 2003, 2008, 2014, 2025 E, FE
July 1973, 1979, 1984, 1990, 2001, 2007, 2012, 2018 G, AG
August 1976, 1982, 1993, 1999, 2004, 2010, 2021, 2027 C, DC
September 1974, 1985, 1991, 1996, 2002, 2013, 2019, 2024 F, GF
October 1978, 1989, 1995, 2000, 2006, 2017, 2023, 2028 A, BA
November 1981, 1987, 1992, 1998, 2009, 2015, 2020, 2026 D, ED
December 1974, 1985, 1991, 1996, 2002, 2013, 2019, 2024 F, GF

This sequence given here for 2001–2028, follows a 28-year cycle from March 1, 1900 to February 28, 2100. The months with a Friday the 13th are determined by the Dominical letter (G, F, GF, etc.) of the year. Every month that begins on a Sunday will contain a Friday the 13th, and there is at least one Friday the 13th in every calendar year.

The longest period that can occur without a Friday the 13th is fourteen months, either from July to September the following common year (e.g. between 2001–02, 2012–13, and 2018–19), or from August to October the following leap year (e.g. between 1999–2000 or 2027–28).

Patterns for common years:

Each Gregorian 400-year cycle contains 146,097 days (365 × 400 = 146,000 normal days, plus 97 leap days) and they equal 146,097 days, total. 146,097 ÷ 7 = 20,871 weeks. Thus, each cycle contains the same pattern of days of the week (and thus the same pattern of Fridays that are on the 13th). The 13th day of the month is slightly more likely to be a Friday than any other day of the week.[18] On average, there is a Friday the 13th once every 212.35 days (compared to Thursday the 13th, which occurs only once every 213.59 days).

The distribution of the 13th day over the 4,800 months is as follows:

Day of the week Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
Number of occurrences 687 685 685 687 684 688 684

Events on Fridays the 13th

Some events are intentionally scheduled for Fridays the 13th for dramatic effect. They include:

Events that have occurred on Friday the 13th include:

  • On October 13, 1307, Templar Grand Master Jacques de Molay and several Templar Knights were arrested by King Phillip of France. Most were eventually tortured to death.
  • On January 13, 1939, the single worst bushfire in Australian history struck Victoria, Australia, claiming 71 lives and causing widespread damage.
  • The renowned rapper Tupac Amaru Shakur was pronounced dead on September 13, 1996.
  • On August 13, 2004, Hurricane Charley slammed in to Southwest Florida as a Category 4 hurricane, the strongest hurricane to hit the United States since 1992.
  • An engineering train on the Northern Line of the London Underground became uncoupled and went on a 13-minute journey southbound from Archway station, finally stopping at Warren Street tube station on the West End branch of the line on August 13, 2010. The train in front was forced to skip several stations and was diverted to the City branch of the line.[21]
  • On January 13, 2012, France, Austria, Malta, Slovakia, Slovenia, Cyprus, Italy, Portugal and Spain had their credit ratings downgraded by Standard & Poor's [22][23][24]
  • On January 13, 2012, the luxury cruise ship Costa Concordia sank in front of the island of Isola del Giglio, killing at least sixteen aboard and injuring 64.[25]
  • The asteroid 99942 Apophis will make a close encounter with Earth, closer than the orbits of communication satellites, on April 13, 2029.[26]
  • On April 13, 2012, North Korea launched a test missile which they claimed was a satellite at around 8AM Korea time. However, the missile fell apart right after flight and into the ocean. [27]

References

  1. ^ a b Nathaniel Lachenmeyer, 13: The Story of the World's Most Popular Superstition ch. 5 (2004).
  2. ^ a b Roach, John (2004-08-12). "Friday the 13th Phobia Rooted in Ancient History". National Geographic News. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
  3. ^ a b Clar, Mimi (1957). "Friday the 13th". Western Folklore: 62–63.
  4. ^ a b c Weisstein, Eric W. "Triskaidekaphobia on MathWorld". MathWorld. Retrieved 2010-08-14.
  5. ^ a b "Friday the 13th". snopes.com. Retrieved 2007-03-26.
  6. ^ Thomas W. Lawson. "Thomas W. Lawson, ''Friday, the Thirteenth'' (1907)". Gutenberg.org. Retrieved 2011-05-13.
  7. ^ Howarth, Stephen (1992). The Knights Templar. Barnes and Noble. ISBN 9780880296632.
  8. ^ "Why Friday the 13th Is Unlucky". Urbanlegends.about.com. Retrieved 2011-05-13.
  9. ^ Alternative spellings include paraskevodekatriaphobia.
  10. ^ "Snopes.com". Snopes.com. Retrieved 2011-05-13.
  11. ^ Rafael Falcón, Christine Yoder Falcón Salsa: a taste of Hispanic culture, p. 64, Praeger (1998), ISBN 0275961214
  12. ^ Template:It Carlo Grande (17 February 2012). "Venerdì 17 porta davvero sfortuna?". La Stampa. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  13. ^ Template:It "Venerdì 13 porta (s)fortuna? Non in Italia". cafebabel.com. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  14. ^ Template:It "Venerdì 13 è un giorno che porta sfortuna – Mara rimanda le nozze con Mezzaroma". Corriere del Mezzogiorno. 1 February 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  15. ^ Josh Sens, "Some Don't Count on lucky", Via Magazine, January 2004.
  16. ^ Mirror.co.uk, "Friday 13th is no longer unlucky".
  17. ^ Dutch study shows Friday 13th not more unlucky, Reuters.com
  18. ^ B.H. Brown, "Solution to Problem E36", American Mathematical Monthly, vol. 40, issue 10 (1933), p. 607; Jean Meeus, Mathematical Astronomy Morsels IV, 2007, p. 367.
  19. ^ "Spooks and Spirits in Detours Magazine".
  20. ^ "Friday the 13th". Artix Entertainment. 2011-05-13. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  21. ^ "BBC.co.uk". BBC.co.uk. 2010-08-13. Retrieved 2011-05-13.
  22. ^ "France loses AAA rating as euro governments downgraded". BBC News. January 13, 2012.
  23. ^ "Eurozone's Friday the 13th". BBC News. January 13, 2012.
  24. ^ Duncan, Hugo. "Humiliation of the French: After lecturing Britain on its finances, France is stripped of its gold-plated AAA credit rating". Daily Mail. London.
  25. ^ "CNN.com Video". CNN.
  26. ^ McGuire, Bill (2005). Global Catastrophes: A Very Short Introduction. US: Oxford University Press. p. 5. ISBN 0192804936. ...the recently discovered asteroid, Apophis..., which will pass within the orbits of our communication satellites on 13 April 2029
  27. ^ "CNN.com". CNN.
Look up paraskavedekatriaphobia in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
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