To be honest I have never taken a great deal of notice of Friday 13. I have never noticed that I have have had any particular bad luck on that day, and in fact, the events that I would call bad luck have occured on other days. Yesterday, I noticed no black cats, ladders or broken mirrors - the garbage was picked up on time (and the truck didn’t drop any in the street), The chops didn’t burn for dinner and oh joy! my computer actually worked without giving me too much grief.
So much for Friday 13. But why do we consider it unlucky anyway? You won’t find this date figuring hugely in the catalogue of major disasters. The Titanic sank on Monday, April 14; Krakatoa erupted on August 26; Chernobyl nuclear power plant went into meltdown on Saturday April 26. No Friday, no 13.
So given its conspicuous absence when something very unlucky happens, why do we fear it so? many events, including the crucifixion of Christ, have been believed to have happened on that date, but in fact there is no connection at all, or the actual dates are unknown.
The number 13 is considered to be unlucky because there were 13 at the Last Supper, and it is the card of Death in the Tarot. That kind of evidence would never stand up in court.
Friday is actually a fortunate day - it is the day of Venus, the Goddess of love and pleasure, Freya in Norse mythology, and a great day to be born according to the old rhyme:
Monday’s child is fair of face.
Tuesday’s child is full of grace.
Wednesday’s child is full of woe.
Thursday’s child has far to go.
Friday’s child is loving and giving.
Saturday’s child works hard for a living,
But the child who is born on the Sabbath Day
Is bonny and blithe and good in every way.
(It used to be ‘gay’ but political correctness has intervened
What on earth did this harmless, innocuous day do to deserve such bad press? Most modern observers seem to agree that it is a media beat up, a popular press invention - in fact, it could even be termed defamation.
I suggest reclaiming this day. Let’s declare Friday 13 `Nothing Happened Day.’ Let us celebrate the fact that hardly anything ever happens on Friday 13, and revel in its ordinariness. It will become a national - nay, an international - day of non happening.
Of course, life being the contrary animal it is, sinking ships and exploding volcanoes are likely to start occuring on Friday 13 just to spite us.


2 comments
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July 14, 2007 at 4:20 pm
marimann
Here something bad that really did happen: on Friday, October 13, 1307 the head of the Knights Templar and 60 of his knights were rounded up and killed by King Philip IV of France. This was the beginning of the destruction of the group. Not a lucky day for them.
July 21, 2007 at 10:43 pm
Heather Blakey
My father was born on Friday the 13th so it was an auspicious date for the world wasn’t it?