Happy Friday the 13th!!
Fear of Friday the 13th or the number 13, triskaidekaphobia, has been part of the lives of famous, infamous and common people for a long time.Napoleon, J. Paul Getty, Herbert Hoover and Franklin Delano Roosevelt were all practicing triskaidekaphobes. Roosevelt may have been our most superstitious president. When luncheon or dinner parties numbered 13, he would ask his secretary to join the guests to make an even 14..
That seems to be a common fear as in Paris, superstitious diners can hire a quatorzieme, or professional 14th guest. Roosevelt's fears extended far beyond the dinner table, affecting even his travel arrangements. If he was going to travel on the 13th, often he would make the conductor leave at 11:50 p.m. on the 12th or wait until the early hours of the 14th ."
Mark Twain once was the 13th guest at a dinner party, Fernsler said, and a friend told him not to go because it was bad luck. "It was bad luck," Twain later told the friend. "They only had food for 12."
Apparently 13 suffers from its position after 12, which numerologists consider a complete number. There are 12 months in a year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 tribes of Israel and 12 apostles of Jesus.
In exceeding 12 by one, 13 is just beyond completeness, and is, therefore, restless and squirmy. People get particularly squirmy when 13 falls on a Friday because that day has a reputation as one of bad luck. It was the day Christ was crucified and historically has been the day reserved for capital executions.
Every year contains at least one Friday the 13th. The most number of these days that can occur in any one calendar year is three; the last time that happened was 1998, and the next will be 2009.
This is the only Friday the 13th in 2008. In 2009, this day can be enjoyed on Feb, 13, March 13 and Nov. 13.
So, Enjoy.
