Happy Friday the13th

Happy Friday The 13th! Don't look what's under your bed tonight & don't turn off the light. You don't know what's coming. Have a good day!

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Happy Friday to all you workers out there. Better yet, Happy Friday the 13th.  Many people worldwide are so affected by a fear of this day the they won't go to work or drive a car.  Some won't even get out of bed. In fact, this day is so filled with superstition about bad luck that many buildings choose not to include a 13th floor, jumping instead from 12 to 14. In fact, hotels do not have a room 13.  But why? Where did all this superstition come from? There are several theories about the origin of the Friday the 13th superstition. If you will bear with me, my friends,  have some trivia to share with you today.

Many believe that the fear of Friday the 13th dates back to Norse Mythology. According to the story, 12 gods had been enjoying a banquet at Valhalla, when the mischief maker, Loki, arrives uninvited, becoming the 13th guest.  During the course of the evening, he tricks Holder, the blind god of darkness, into shooting Balder, a god of happiness. Balder dies and the Earth falls into darkness. 

One  theory states that 13 is often considered unlucky because there were 13 people in attendance at the Last Supper--the 12 disciples plus Jesus--and within a day Christ had been crucified. The last member thought to arrive was Judas.  From this comes the superstition that it is unlucky to hold a dinner party with 12 guests.  Friday has always been considered a very unlucky day in its own right. It is believed to be the day of Christ's Crucifixion. Christians believe that this is the day that Eve offered the apple to Adam, leading to the expulsion from the garden...and we all know what that led to.

Yet another theory proposes that during the Middle Ages, King Philip IV of France ordered of France ordered the arrest and execution of the Knights Templar, along with the Cathars,  on Friday the 13th, thus marking it as a day of evil.  Furthermore, it was on  Friday the 13th, 1066, that King Harold, the last Saxon king of England, was slain in the battle of Hastings. 

In numerology, 12 is considered a whole or complete number. There are 12 months in a year, 12 Zodiac signs, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 tribes of Israel, the 12 apostles--while 13 is considered 'out of balance'.

In ancient times, our ancestors  marked time by the lunar cycle and calendar. The number 13 was considered a very favorable number to them, perhaps because there are 13 full moons in a year which was important for people who lived 'without electricity'.

To the ancient Romans the number 13 as a symbol of death, destruction and great misfortune. In ancient Greece Zeus the most powerful of all the gods,  was counted as the 13th god.  

Traditionally, there are 13 witches in a Coven. In Salem, 13  witches were executed a during the Witch Trials of 1692.

The 13th Tarot card is Death.

 All Hallows Eve has 13 letters. And. count the letters in 'superstitious'. 

There are some who believe that superstition most likely began as a Christian attempt to dishonor the Mother Goddess. An old legend states that  when the Germanic peoples converted to Christianity, the mother goddess, Frigga, was banished to a mountain top and labeled as a witch.  Thereafter, every Friday, (Frigga's Day) would gather 11 other witches and the Devil...making a total of 13...and together they would spitefully plan their mischief for the following week.

Needless to say, I am staying in today, and not for fear of a day. While riding home on the bus the other, a woman seated next to me was holding a child in her arms, and just as I turned to see if we were getting close to my stop, the child sneezed right in my face.  Darn!!!  Now I am feeling a cold coming on.  Staying in to nurse myself back to health.  After all, next Wednesday is a return trip to Atlantic City.

Happy Friday the 13th, and have a wonderful weekend.  See you on Monday.