Friday the 13th...oh so scarey, or just another day???

thank you, tak care, julia

A Friday occurring on the 13th day of any month is considered to be a day of bad luck in English, German, Polish and Portuguese-speaking cultures around the globe. Similar superstitions exist in some other traditions. In Greece or Spain, for example, Tuesday the 13th takes the same role. In Russia, the unlucky day is Monday[citation needed]. The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia (a word that is derived from the concatenation of the Greek words ?a?as?e??, de?at?e??, and f?ß?a, meaning Friday, thirteen, and phobia respectively; alternate spellings include paraskevodekatriaphobia or paraskevidekatriaphobia) or friggatriskaidekaphobia, and is a specialized form of triskaidekaphobia, a phobia (fear) of the number thirteen. History of Friday the 13th Before the 20th century, although there is evidence that the number 13 was considered unlucky, and Friday was considered unlucky, there was no link between them. Many popular stories exist about the origin of the concept: The Last Supper, with stories that Judas was the thirteenth guest, and that the Crucifixion of Jesus occurred Friday. That the biblical Eve offered the fruit to Adam on a Friday, and that the slaying of Abel happened on a Friday (though the Bible does not identify the days of the week when these events occurred). [1] Many modern stories (including The Da Vinci Code) claim that when King Philip IV had many Knights Templar simultaneously arrested on Friday, October 13, 1307, that started the legend of the unlucky Friday the 13th. Neither these nor any other historical date have been verifiably identified as the origin of the Friday the 13th superstition. The first documented mention of a "Friday the 13th" is generally listed as occurring in the early 1900s.[2][3] [4] In the case of Greece, Tuesday, April 13, 1204 was the date that Constantinople was sacked by the crusaders of the Fourth Crusade. The first-ever fall of what was then the richest Christian city, and the looting that followed, allegedly gave Tuesday 13 its bad meaning. Coincidentally, Constantinople fell for the second time in its history on Tuesday, May 29, 1453, to the Ottoman Turks, a date that puts an end to the Byzantine empire, and to Greek sovereignty for several centuries, and therefore reinforcing Tuesday as an unlucky day in the Greek world.[citations needed] [edit] Effects in people and cultures "It's been estimated that [U.S] $800 or $900 million is lost in business on this day because people will not fly or do business they would normally do." [5] Some people are so paralyzed by fear that they are simply unable to get out of bed when Friday the 13th rolls around. The Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute estimates that more than 17 million people are affected by a fear of this day. [6] Despite that, representatives for both Delta and Continental Airlines say that their airlines don't suffer from any noticeable drop in travel on those Fridays. [7] A British Medical Journal study has shown that there is a significant increase in traffic related accidents on Friday the 13ths.[8] The date is well-known in the motorcycle (biker) community: Since 1981, motorcycle enthusiasts and vendors gather every Friday the 13th in Port Dover, Ontario, Canada. This tradition started on November 13, 1981 by Chris Simons as a gathering of approximately 25 friends. The event has grown substantially, with an estimated 100,000 people attending in August 2004, as well as music bands, vendors, a bike show, etc. In the Spanish-speaking world, it is Tuesday the 13th the day that supposedly brings bad luck; a proverb runs En martes, ni te cases ni te embarques, ni de tu familia te apartes. (On Tuesday, neither get married nor start a journey, or separate yourself from your family.) However, many people who expereince odd ocurrences on Friday the 13 seem to also experience a good fortune on a diffrent aspect. For example; If a person wakes up late due to an alarm clock failing to go off, then a colleague at work may compliment them. People who belive in Friday the 13 as "Bad Karma" usually don't admit to any bad circumstances occuring. Some events are intentionally scheduled for Friday the 13th for dramatic effect. Black Sabbath's self-titled debut album was released in the UK on Friday, February 13, 1970. Novelist Daniel Handler, also known as Lemony Snicket, released the 13th book of the Series of Unfortunate Events on Friday, October 13, 2006. The Harry Potter Movie: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will be released on Friday, July 13, 2007. Due to the large number of negative events that happen in the world, a similar list could be compiled for any combination of day of the month and day of the week. January 13, 2006, and October 13, 2006, were not only Fridays, but the digits in the month, day, and year of each date add up to 13. This last occurred on October 13, 1520, and will next occur on May 13, 2011. The asteroid 99942 Apophis will make its close encounter on Friday, April 13, 2029. Hurricane Charley made landfall in Florida on Friday, August 13, 2004.