‘Freaky Friday’ no more; 77.3% of people not afraid to plan major life events on infamous day
Despite being entrenched in superstitious lore, 77.3 percent of people say they would not hesitate to shift plans for a major life event, such as a wedding, move, or first day on a new job, in order to avoid Friday the 13th, according to a new online poll from HowStuffWorks.com.
The phenomenon known as paraskevidekatriaphobia, or fear of Friday the 13th, can be traced back to folklore and superstition in many different religions and cultures.
- A Betrayal Not Forgotten For Over 2,000 Years – Judas, the “betraying apostle,” was the 13th diner to arrive at the Last Supper. Many other monumental Christian tragedies reportedly fell on Fridays including: Jesus’ crucifixion, Adam and Eve being cast out of Eden, and the Great Flood.
- No “Frigg”in’ Way – The word “Friday” is reportedly named after “Frigg,” who is the Norse goddess of sex and love. Some historians claim that Frigg’s positioning as a strong female posed a threat to Christianity, whose focal figures were mostly male. To undermine her influence, some argue that the Christian church characterized Frigg as a witch and vilified the day named after her.
- No More Than Twelve a Table – In Norse mythology, the beloved hero Balder was killed at a banquet by the malevolent god Loki, who crashed the party of twelve, bringing the group to 13. This story, like that of the Last Supper, supported one of the most negative connotations behind this unlucky number: one should never sit down to a meal in a group of 13.
“Friday the 13th is a date that captivates us because of its historical association with everything from notorious horror movies to everyday superstitions,” said Marshall Brain, founder of HowStuffWorks.com, who also writes the BrainStuff blog and hosts a podcast of the same name. ”As our poll demonstrates, most people have used common sense and personal experience to debunk the day’s bad rap, and grasp that a Friday the 13th is really no different than a Friday the 12th.”
