Friday the 13'Th?

Picture courtesy Kiran Kumar PY, my school buddy

When ever I hear "Friday the 13'Th", the things I relate to are Horror , ghosts, death, something bad etc. It not from experience that this thoughts come up from, but they are from the movies I have been seeing since child hood.

So why I or most of the people come up with such assumptions about Friday the 13'Th? Because from the early days of TV and movies, Friday the 13'Th is the day when the ghost rises or the murders start or something evil happens.

A Friday occurring on the 13'Th 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 13'Th takes the same role.

The fear of Friday the 13'Th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia (a word that is derived from the concatenation of the Greek words Παρασκευή, δεκατρείς, and φοβία, meaning Friday, thirteen, and phobia respectively; and is a specialized form of triskaidekaphobia, a phobia (fear) of the number thirteen.

However, many popular stories exist about the origin of the concept:

• The popular painting of the Last Supper, with stories that Judas numbered among the thirteen guests (Jesus plus his 12 apostles), and that the Crucifixion of Jesus occurred Friday.


• The Knights Templar
  

Some people are so paralyzed by fear that they are simply unable to get out of bed when Friday the 13'Th rolls around. The Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute estimates that more than 17 million people are affected by a fear of this day. 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.

A British Medical Journal study has shown that there is a significant increase in traffic-related accidents on Friday the 13Th's.

I am not sure what others might think, but I am going to enjoy my weekend(Friday).

So, Happy Friday the 13'Th.......Ooops.........Happy Week End!!

Have Fun!!