Sunday, February 15, 2009

The Truth Behind FRIDAY the 13TH

You think this would be just a normal day, but it's possibly the most well known bad luck superstition of them all, for but why? Flash back to your childhood days, do you remember someone telling you, "Watch black cat crossing the street," "Don't break a mirror today," or "Don't step on the cracks on the sidewalk.''

The fear
of Friday the 13th is called Paraskevidekatriaphobia. The word is derived from the Greek words Paraskevi (meaning Friday), and dekastreis (meaning 13), attached to phobia (meaning feaar). This is a specialised of triskaidekaphobia, a simple phobia of the number 13.

The fear of Friday the 13th continues for most of us. Most people cannot offer an explanationto their fear or superstitions, but the belief is widespread. Some people begin their day with greater care. Some do not go to work, while others cancel their job interview, feeling that the day woud result badly.

According to folklorists, there is no written evidence for a "Friday the 13th" superstition before the 19th century.The earliest known documented reference in English occurs in an 1869 biography of Gioachino Rossini. As the story goes, Rossini regarded Friday as an unlucky day, and thirteen as an unlucky number. It is remarkable that on Friday, the 13th of November, he died.