Friday the 13th: Black Friday

Is there any other day that is as synonymous with superstition and fear as Friday the 13th?

Not likely. The origins of Friday the 13th are extremely interesting, to say the least. It's actually a combination of two different superstitions that form the basis of this one. Let’s take a look at both.

The first one is Friday. Friday is thought to be an unlucky day all by itself. Some people believe that Friday was the day that Adam and Eve took their first bite of the forbidden apple, while others believe that Jesus was crucified on Friday. Cain supposedly killed Abel on Friday, and hangings took place on Friday. In fact, in the United States, executions still take place on Friday! Friday has also been thought of to be the day in which witches and sorcerers worked their foul magic's.

It's no wonder that Friday is known to be an unlucky day, but when you team it up with the number 13, you really get a superstitious holiday of sorts.

The number 13 begins its unlucky venture in Norse Mythology. Loki was said to be the 13th guest at the same banquet that saw Loki trick Höðr into killing the god of peace and light, Balder.

In Christianity, the number 13 reappears, with Judas being the uninvited 13th guest at the last supper. Judas eventually leaves the banquet early and betrays Jesus, which led to his crucifixion.

Today, the number 13 is still thought to be unlucky. People even go so far as to avoid making doctor's appointments on the 13th, and businesses  try not to use the number whenever possible. When you add Friday to the number 13, you have Black Friday, the most unlucky day of them all.

So when it’s all said and done black Friday is scary not from some inherent superstition but because of all the things that took place on such a day. It just goes to show us how history is still lurking behind the corner.

Superstitions Revealed -Where Did They Come From?." Squidoo : Welcome to Squidoo. N.p., n.d. Thur. 23 Feb. 2012. <http://www.squidoo.com/Superstitions-Revealed>.

The Black Cat

The ability to see in the dark, the lightning quick reflexes and glowing eyes all lend weight to the superstition that black cats are unlucky. Cats will often freeze in place and look at a disturbance that is almost undetectable to us, which many people believe is evidence that the common housecat can see into the spirit realm. In fact, that belief has endured for over a thousand years. No other domestic animal is as mysterious, and thus the target of superstition, as the common cat.

Cats have the honour of being mentioned in several religions, and were even deified by the ancient Egyptians. The male cat was inextricably linked to the Egyptian god, Ra, and female cats with the god, Bastet. It was actually worse to kill a cat in ancient Egypt, than it was to kill a human being.

Besides ancient Egypt, the cat can be found in the ancient writings of Mohammed and Confucius. The Romans even took the cat under their wing, and identified felines with their god, Diana, also known as Hecate. This wasn't a good moment for the cat as a race, since Hecate was said to take the form of a cat when she left the underworld to visit earth.

Later, after the fall of Rome, the cat was thought to be the symbol of Satan in Europe. This belief naturally carried over to witches, who were thought to need a familiar if their magical powers were to be effective. Of course, the witch was also thought to be able to take the physical form a black cat.

In short, the cat has been deified, Satanized, Demonized and domesticated. It's really no shock that some of the folklore and beliefs from the past has leaked through to present day, making the cat one of the most feared, yet respected animals to walk the planet. Funny thing is used to have five of them, two of which were black. They walked passed me all the time and curses did not fall from the sky onto my house. Their nothing but moody teenagers!

If the Egyptians can vouch for them, and I can vouch for them I think we can count this superstition disproved. 








Superstitions Revealed -Where Did They Come From?." Squidoo : Welcome to Squidoo. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2012. <http://www.squidoo.com/Superstitions-Revealed>.

Superstitions Rule the World

"Step on a crack...." Needless to say that its fatal for moms everywhere. Everyone ,whether they notice it or not, leads a life with superstitions always hovering over their shoulders.  This blog is made to explore some of the more interesting ones. I will be getting to the root of why so may people live with restrictions on their lives, afraid that some mythological monster will come and capture them if they do something the way everyone else does. Hope you enjoy!