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Friday the 13th

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

Friday the 13th occurs when the thirteenth day of a month falls on a Friday, which superstition holds to be a day of bad luck. In the Gregorian calendar, this day occurs at least once, but at most three times a year. Any month's 13th day will fall on a Friday if the month starts on a Sunday.

Phobia

The fear of Friday the 13th is 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[1][2] 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.[3] ok fine then i like

History

Rossini by Henri Grevedon

According to folklorists, there is no written evidence for a "Friday the 13th" superstition before the 19th century.[4][5][6] 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 Descendants of Muhammad Imams, 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,[3] and many other professions have regarded Friday as an unlucky day to undertake journeys or begin new projects. Black Friday has been associated with stock market crashes and other disasters since the 1800s.[6][7] It has also been suggested that Friday has been considered an unlucky day because, according to Christian scripture and tradition, Jesus was crucified on a Friday.[8]
  • 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,[9] in which an unscrupulous broker takes advantage of the superstition to create a Wall Street panic on a Friday the 13th.[4] 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. However, experts agree that this is a relatively recent correlation, and most likely a modern-day invention. Although according to many Freemasons, this date corresponds with the slaughtering of the Knights Templar by the Church. Many Knights Templar also escaped their persecution by fleeing to Scotland.[3][7][10]

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 often said to "come in threes".[11] Any month starting on a Thursday will have a Tuesday the 13th. If a 31 day month contains a Tuesday the 13th, the following month will contain a Friday the 13th.

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. 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".[5] Despite this, representatives for both Delta and Continental Airlines say that their airlines do not suffer from any noticeable drop in travel on those Fridays.[12]

Rate of accidents

There are conflicting studies about the risk of accidents on Friday the 13th. 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."[13][14] However, a 1993 study in the British Medical Journal that compared the ratio of traffic accidents between Friday the 6th and Friday the 13th stated that there is a significant increase in traffic-related accidents on Friday the 13th.[3][15] There are indications that there are more accidents on Fridays than average weekdays (irrespective of the date) probably because of alcohol consumption. Therefore it is less relevant for this purpose to compare Friday the 13th with any other 13th day of another month.

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

The following years have Fridays the 13th in these months:

Year Months Dominical
letter
2001 April, July G
2002 September, December F
2003 June E
2004 February, August DC
2005 May B
2006 January, October A
2007 April, July G
2008 June FE
2009 February, March, November D
2010 August C
2011 May B
2012 January, April, July AG
2013 September, December F
2014 June E
2015 February, March, November D
2016 May CB
2017 January, October A
2018 April, July G
2019 September, December F
2020 March, November ED
2021 August C
2022 May B
2023 January, October A
2024 September, December GF
2025 June E
2026 February, March, November D
2027 August C
2028 October BA

This sequence give 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).

Three years had three friday the 13ths: In the years 1984 and 2012 (to fall on Jan., April and July) and 1998 (on Feb., March and Nov.). Also to note the superstitions and doomsday prophecies surrounding the years 1984 (based on the book 1984 (novel) by Sir George Orwell written in 1948 or 1949, 1998 and 2012 (the doomsday on the Maya calendar was expected to come on December 21, 2012, which is also a popular belief among the New Age Movement since the 1970's). But to American history, 1984 and 1998 were highly positive years of economic booms and strong pride in patriotic feeling among Americans, plus high ratings of US presidents Ronald Reagan (1984) and Bill Clinton (1998). [citation needed]

Patterns for non-leap years:

First month occurring Second month Third month
January October
February March November
April July
May
June
August
September December

Patterns for leap years:

First month occurring Second month Third month
January April July
February August
March November
May
June
September December
October

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, and 400 × 12 = 4,800 months. Thus, each cycle contains the same pattern of days of the week (and thus the same pattern of Fridays that are on the 13th), but no day of the month up to the 28th can occur the same number of times on each day of the week (because 4,800 is not divisible by 7). The 13th day of the month is slightly more likely to be a Friday than any other day of the week.[16] On average, there is a Friday the 13th once every 212.35 (212 and 241/688) days.

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

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

Events on Fridays the 13th

On October 5, 2004, Paramount released a box set of the first eight Friday the 13th films, which includes new interviews with the cast and crew, as well as four new commentaries.[17]

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

Events that have been notable for being linked to the concept of Friday the 13th include:

  • The renowned rapper Tupac Amaru Shakur was pronounced dead on Friday, September 13, 1996.
  • The asteroid 99942 Apophis will make a close encounter with Earth, closer than the orbits of communication satellites, on Friday, April 13, 2029.[20]
  • 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. The train in front was forced to skip several stations and was diverted to the City branch of the line on Friday, August 13, 2010.[21]

References

  1. ^ Alternative spellings include paraskevodekatriaphobia.
  2. ^ "Snopes.com". Snopes.com. Retrieved 2011-05-13.
  3. ^ a b c d Weisstein, Eric W. "Triskaidekaphobia on MathWorld". MathWorld. Retrieved 2010-08-14.
  4. ^ a b Nathaniel Lachenmeyer, 13: The Story of the World's Most Popular Superstition ch. 5 (2004).
  5. ^ a b Roach, John (2004-08-12). "Friday the 13th Phobia Rooted in Ancient History". National Geographic News. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
  6. ^ a b Clar, Mimi (1957). "Friday the 13th". Western Folklore: 62–63.
  7. ^ a b "Friday the 13th". snopes.com. Retrieved 2007-03-26.
  8. ^ Leokum, Arkady (June 1993). The Big Book of Tell Me Why. Dorset Pr. ISBN 0880293179.
  9. ^ Thomas W. Lawson. "Thomas W. Lawson, ''Friday, the Thirteenth'' (1907)". Gutenberg.org. Retrieved 2011-05-13.
  10. ^ "Why Friday the 13th Is Unlucky". Urbanlegends.about.com. Retrieved 2011-05-13.
  11. ^ a b Rafael Falcón, Christine Yoder Falcón Salsa: a taste of Hispanic culture, p. 64, Praeger (1998), ISBN 0275961214
  12. ^ Josh Sens, "Some Don't Count on lucky", Via Magazine, January 2004.
  13. ^ Mirror.co.uk, "Friday 13th is no longer unlucky".
  14. ^ Dutch study shows Friday 13th not more unlucky, Reuters.com
  15. ^ T.J. Scanlon, R.N. Luben, F.X. Scanlon, N. Singleton (1993). "Is Friday the 13th bad for your health?". British Medical Journal (307): 1584–1586.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ Mike Bracken (2004-10-25). "Friday The 13th: From Crystal Lake to Manhattan Ultimate DVD Collection". IGN. Retrieved 2009-04-03.
  18. ^ {{cite web[url=http://detoursmagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=114:spooks-and-spirits&catid=45:entertainment&Itemid=76/ |title=Spooks and Spirits in Detours Magazine}}
  19. ^ "Friday the 13th". Artix Entertainment. 2011-05-13. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  20. ^ 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
  21. ^ "BBC.co.uk". BBC.co.uk. 2010-08-13. Retrieved 2011-05-13.
Look up paraskavedekatriaphobia in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
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