FRIDAY THE 13th
Friday the 13th- here it is. Paraskavidekatriaphobia (what?) has a meaning to exist because of this day. It is the fear of Friday the 13th. It is not a frequent occurance, with usually just 1-2 instances per year of 13th being a friday. On a more common note, triskaidekaphobia the fear of just the number 13 still plagues many poor souls.
As superstitious as it remains, the origins of this bugaboo is also very obscure. In the last supper Judas was the 13th guest, and Jesus was crucifixed on Friday. Eve gave the "forbidden fruit" to Adam on a friday (highly specious), and many other stories still keep the fear alive. King Philip IV had many Knights Templar arrested simultaneously and later executed on Friday, October 13, 1307- and it is believed by many that this started the fear of the day.
From being an unlucky day, it has evolved into a day of horror and ghosts. There are quite a few movies and books based on Friday the 13th day. Many high rise buildings in Europe and North America do not have a 13th floor and there are sometimes no 13th street/avenue in cities. The superstitions assume alarming proportions in terms of misfortune- like a black cat crossing your path, breaking the mirror, spilling salt, walking under a ladder... these can be catastrophically disastrous for you. 13 people at a dinner is an ill-omen (death would occur within an year), the earliest reference to this can be found in the Hindu religion, as it was later with the Vikings. The 13th stage of life was death, according to Egyptian belief(but it was lucky, or so they believed). THe British Medical Journal in 1993 also published a report, which proved with "conclusive results" from extensive tests, that Friday 13th was indeed bad for your health. Interesting!
The spookiness can be quite something, as it did in the following story. One hundred years ago, the British government sought to quell once and for all the widespread superstition among seamen that setting sail on Fridays was unlucky. A special ship was commissioned, named "H.M.S. Friday." They laid her keel on a Friday, launched her on a Friday, selected her crew on a Friday and hired a man named Jim Friday to be her captain. To top it off, H.M.S. Friday embarked on her maiden voyage on a Friday... and was never seen or heard from again!\
If it gets spooky on friday the 13th, it get to pure horror on saturday the 14th! Dont believe me? Check out THIS movie... The pictures on this blog by the way, are REAL pictures taken by me in a corn field sometime back. Comments on the pictures are welcome!
Before you go, dont look beneath your seat.
posted by SHAILENDRA at 7:44 PM
3 Comments:
Hey is the first picture real? Its scarryy man..........how didu take it?
Not in western countries, But even in India people feel that 13 is not so lucky.And we have a horror movie in Tamil "13th number veedu (house)". IN fact once when I participated in a inter school competition (classical music competition) where 26 schools participated my entry number was 13 and I was told by my grand mother that I may not win the competition as my number being 13. To my surpise 3rd prize was shared by 4. 2nd proze was shared by 2 and the 1st prize was given only to me... :). So from then the fear of 13 is not with me. In fact that seems to be my lucky number.
Nice story shri, even I dont have any thing to do with 13. But i think your talent had the final say, rather than the number!
@anonymous- yes, it is a real picture... imagine how it would have been if that creature comes in front of you in the dark night, inside a maze of corn field...
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