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.
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>.
Whenever I thought of Friday the 13th, I thought that it was a single entity. As in, I thought that something, at some point in time, happened on Friday the 13th, and so the negative connotations came from that event. Not that I knew what happened or anything, but that was my assumption. It was definitely interesting to find out that it is actually a compilation of multiple superstitions.
ReplyDeleteAs always, its vey interesting to learn about holidays or superstitions such as these that aren't as thought about but believed in. It just goes to show how easily we can conform to societal beliefs without ever learning the true history of where such ideas came from. In considering the day friday the 13th, its usually thought of as a spooky day, and entertained by mostly young people and teens. I never knew that the US plans executions on that day, or that even businesses go as far as to not use that number in their work. Now I might just go research the meaning of the number 6!
ReplyDelete