Friday, November 13, 2009

It's Friday the 13th! Holy Crap!

Crucifix, check. Four-leaf clover, check. Horse shoe, check. Garlic, check. It's Friday the 13th, and some shit's goin' down today! Well, not really, although everyone seems to think so. I'm not too worried about it, and neither should you be!
Just in case.


That new move 2012 is coming out today, on Friday the 13th. Wouldn't it have been better to release it on December 22nd? Anyway...

Oh, there's your problem!


The truth about Friday the 13th is that there is none! Some seem to think it all started way back when the Christians converted the Vikings to their religion. The tale goes something like this...

  "Friday is named for Frigga, the free spirited goddess of love and fertility. When they converted Frigga was Banished to some mountaintop and labeled as a witch. And that every Friday the witch communed with 11 other witches and the Devil. Another theory about it, is that in paganism the number 13 was considered lucky, and Christianity (yeah, those guys, again) in a twisting of religion, made it seem to be the opposite in attempts to convert people from being pagans."

That doesn't really explain where they got the 13th from, but hey, makes for a good story so that your kids don't go climbing mountains or anything. The 13th is said to have been invented in a way during the 19th century, when Gioachino Rossini had died on Friday the 13th in November in 1868. In numerology it's said that twelve is the number of "completeness" and thirteen transgresses this. Also having thirteen people sitting at a table for dinner will result in one of them dying (just like Jesus).
It all makes perfect sense.

There was also a battle on Friday the 13th in October of 1066 where King Harold the Second decided to march his troops right into battle without resting after a long march. What a dick move, he lost, and died.
Douche.


The social impact of the superstition is insane. People actually avoid doing anything on Friday the 13th. Literally, they are afraid to get out of bed. Even though it seems like less shit goes down on a Friday the 13th than any other random day. Take that Friday the 13th! It's most likely because all the bad guys are afraid of the day (yeah right). There are fewer car accidents, fewer break-ins, fewer violent crimes, fewer pies thrown... So I made that last one up, when was the last time you actually saw a pie being thrown? About the only thing that causes more accidents on Friday the 13th, is drunk people, just like any other Friday.
That is pretty unlucky.


So that's where the whole Friday the 13th thing comes from, basically nowhere. It is pretty much one of those silly superstitions that people got into their heads from word of mouth, folklore, and religious condemnations. In some countries, Tuesday the 13th is considered unlucky! Why, you ask? Well, the fall of Constantinople occurred on Tuesday the 29th in May of 1453. Yeah, not even the 13th...

So hang in there, folks! It's not so bad, right?

-Ari Racz

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