Why Friday The 13th Is A Bad Day

Today is Friday the 13th, the most evil of days. Millions of people fear this date as the unluckiest of the year. Supposedly, there is a greater chance of bad things happening to you on Friday the 13th. You might get hit by a bus or stabbed in the face by a guy in a hockey mask. As a kid I was told to be extra careful on this day so nothing bad happened to me. As a child I took everything an adult told me on faith, like Santa Claus or Ronald Reagan. As an adult, I tend to dismiss this kind of thing. It's just a day like any other. No one fears Tuesday the 29th. Where did this fear come from? Why is it so pervasive? Here are some of the reasons Friday the 13th has such bad mojo.

(I should mention that I typed this article once already and had to redo it after it was eaten by my computer, so maybe there is something to this.)

A Bad Day For Templars

The knights Templar are the subject of a thousand conspiracy theories. They've been accused of everything from hiding Mary Magdalene's bones to secretly running the world. The order of the Poor Knights of Christ and The Temple of Solomon was formed during the first crusade. Their job was to protect pilgrims from Saracens and whatnot. They also became Europe's first bankers. You could deposit your money in a Templar castle and get a receipt that you could cash anywhere in Europe or the Holy Land. Needless to say, the "poor knights" got mad rich. The party ended on Friday October 13, 1307, when the French king Phillip the IV had all the Templars arrested. He wanted to get his hands on their gold. They were accused of worshiping a goat head called Baphomet and kissing each other's buttholes during initiation. The Templars were promptly burned at the stake.

The Friday the 13th Movies

The increase in the superstition came about because of the Friday the 13th film franchise. The original Friday the 13th came out in 1980 and forever redefined the slasher genre. It's the charming story of a hockey mask wearing psychopath named Jason who kills teenagers at camp Crystal Lake. You'd think that people would simply stop going to that campsite, but no. There have been 12 Friday the 13th movies. This particular fear is easy to remedy: don't go camping on Friday the 13th.

It's A Real Clinical Phobia

The irrational fear of Friday the 13th is defined by psychologists as friggatriskaidekaphobia. The word is a conjunction of two other phobias, friggaphobia (fear of Fridays) and triskaidekaphobia (fear of the number 13). People with this fear won't go outside on Friday the 13th and avoid anything that could possibly kill them. Some won't even take showers for fear that they might slip and die. Like most phobias, it can be treated with medication and therapy. Chances are if you have friggatriskaidekaphobia, you suffer from other phobias as well.

The Fall Of Man Happened On Friday The 13th

According to a medieval Catholic tradition, the fall of mankind happened on Friday the 13th. That was the day that the serpent tempted Adam and Eve with the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and they were expelled from Eden. It seems strange that they would have had calendars back then seeing as they hadn't invented clothes yet. What possible reason would you have to keep track of the days in the Garden of Eden? All Adam and Eve did was walk around naked naming animals and being "fruitful". The tradition probably started because of prexisting superstitions about the date.

Loki, The Worst Dinner Guest

Loki was the Norse god of fire and trickery. None of the other gods liked him because he was always causing mischief and general douchebaggery. One day, 12 of the gods were having a dinner party in Asgard on Friday the 13th. Loki crashed the party as the 13th guest. Just to be a tool, he shot a poisoned tipped arrow at Balder, the god of beauty. Balder died and the Earth was plunged into a thousand years of darkness and despair. I doubt Loki got any more invitations after that.

Article By Jack Tomas
http://www.jacktomas.com >