Friday the 13th!!

All of us dread Friday 13th, many unknowingly!

Ever wondered as to what is about Friday 13th that makes one dread the very day? Well it has to do with both History as well as mythology (but, yes!).

As per Christian mythology, Friday has always been a bad day – Adam and Eve were banned from the Garden of Eden on Friday, the great flood began on Friday, the temple of Solomon was destroyed on Friday and of course, Jesus was crucified on Friday.

Historically, Friday during the pagan Rome was the day for executions. For the pre-Christian religions, Friday was the Sabbath – the day of worship, and thus when the Church came into existence, this got to be known as the Witches’ Sabbath! There are many other references of Friday being a bad day, but I will skip the long list.

Now for 13! According to the Norse (Scandinavian) mythology, God Odin was hosting a dinner at his home for 11 of his friends. Everyone was having fun, when Loki, the god of evil, came in uninvited, taking the total to 13! At his arrival and after a few fights, the god Balder tried to kick Loki out of the party and it ended up with the death of Balder. From then onwards the Norse believe that 13 at a dinner party will bring ill-luck.

Friday was known to be a bad day and besides the above there are many more references of 13 being an unlucky number, and when both come together, it is a sure case of an evil congregation! Thus the fear of Friday the 13th!

Trivia – Did you know that the fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia, a word that is derived from the concatenation of the Greek words Παρασκευή, δεκατρείς, and φοβία, meaning Friday, thirteen, and phobia respectively!