Feel Good Friday--Uh oh. It's Friday the 13th
/Are you one of the nearly 20 million people who fear the day? Though nearly all of the “Friday the 13th” hoopla is superstition and association, it seems to have stuck. According to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in North Carolina, up to an estimated $900 million in business is lost on these Fridays because of people postponing purchases, travel and contracts, and even staying home from work.
Here's a little trivia and background on how it all got blown out of proportion, and when you venture out of bed, click on the link below--Stevie Ray Vaughan and his cat will get you smiling and feeling much better about "Superstition."
Be careful out there...
The word “Friday” is a loosely translated “day of Frigg.” Frigg (or Frigga or Freya) was a Norse goddess queen, Odin’s wife, watching over married women, love and destiny while she spun clouds. The death of her son Balder by the trickster Loki was her great tragedy, but there are some hazy references to the conversions of Norse and Germanic tribes to Christianity. The male-dominated Catholic church thus labeled Frigg a witch and banished her to a mountain. The story says that she gathered with 11 witches and the devil on one day each week to plan spiteful deeds. From then on the evidence against Friday began stacking up.
British seamen were notoriously superstitious about many things but were most adamant about setting sail on Friday. One (albeit unsubstantiated) tale begins with a frustrated British government commissioning a special ship, dubbed the H. M. S. Friday, whose entire history centered on “Friday:” selecting the crew on that day, launching her on Friday, hiring a Capt. Jim Friday and finally setting out to sea on her maiden voyage on Friday. The ship was never seen again.
When it comes to the number "13," the history and suspicion are more prevalent. Back to Valhalla, haven of the Norse gods, where 12 gods are having a party. The guests include Odin, Frigg and their son Balder. Uninvited guest Loki, the trickster god, shows up as the 13th guest. Miffed that he wasn’t invited, he plays a trick that sends an arrow of mistletoe through Balder’s heart, killing him. The gods and earth go into mourning.
In Christianity, the 13th guest at the Last Supper is Judas, who ends up betraying Jesus Christ. On October 13, 1307 (which happened to be a Friday) France's King Phillip IV sent out soldiers to round up the Knights Templar alleging crimes of Satanism and “unnatural” acts and practices. Many were tortured into “confessions,” and others were executed. This was the end of their official order.
Speaking of death, the hangman’s noose was made with 13 knots, and the convicted trudged up 13 steps to the gallows. A guillotine dropped 13 feet to make the fatal cut.
In architecture, 80% of tall buildings do not have a 13th floor. Some hotels and hospitals have no "Room 13," and it's the same with apartment buildings. In some Italian cities, the house number between 12 and 14 is 12 1/2. Airports have also been known to skip “Gate 13.”
Is there really a mysterious energy about the date? Mathematicians say, "No." The Gregorian calendar with its leap years, 28 year cycles, 40 year cycles and 400 year cycles is to blame for day 13 falling on Friday more than other days of the week. No year can have zero Friday the 13ths. There is always at least one, but no more than three.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JL9eO4-aDMs&list=RDJL9eO4-aDMs
