Friday 13th

The Friday the Thirteenth canard arises from christian superstition. The putative Jesus was alleged to have been executed on a Friday, and he was alleged to have been betrayed by Judas, the thirteenth "disciple." You can subscribe to it if you wish, but i suggest you consider something.

There is, in the study of statistics (which, by the way, was a field of study pioneered in England), something known as the fallacy of the enumeration of favorable circumstances. Basically, it works this way: you believe something to be true--each time a coincidental event seems to confirm the belief, you say: "See, i told you it would happen." But each time the circumstances are identical, and the event does not occur, you take no notice. Therefore, your anecdotal evidence seems to confirm you belief. If however, you were to look at the number of total incidents, and compare the occurance of the expect event to the absence of the expected event, you might come to realize that your belief is unfounded.

In the case of Friday the Thirteenth, consider if you will that today, among the six billion people on this planet, disasters will not overtake literally billions of them--most of them will have ordinary days, even if ordinary in any particular case means unpleasant. This suggests that Friday, January 13th will be a day like any other.

I like the idea of mysticism, of 'luck' and such. But its just not logical. I had a good day on friday....

hmm, we were taught that friday the 13th is an unlucky day because in 1848, on August 13, Slovak 'voluntary' batallion (read: bunch of useless intellectuals and peasants with pitchforks) were slaughtered by Hungarians in Villagos.

Well, that does sound unlucky, dag!

My birthdays August 13th!!!!!

mine is may 13th!

October 13th 1307 is another date associated with the begining of the bad luck myth.

It's the day the Knights Templar were "put out of business".

So they spared the useful intellectuals?

mg, rest assured that you have nothing to fear being born on the 13th because if 13th or Friday the 13th, or Good Friday the 13th were really bad or inauspicious, then bad things would not happen on other days! But belief is a big thing and if you believe that bad will happen, then it just might.

There is no set point in history where Friday the 13th was deemed unlucky. For all we know, it was a practical joke gone awry. However, in a need to prove superstitions as baseless (I'm not saying that they aren't), we find occasions in history, whether it be in ancient times or in our own, in which ill-fated occurances happened to occur on a Friday that was also the thirteenth day of the month.

Superstitions were used primarily in Feudal eras to convince people that it's not their fault bad things happen. It's a higher power so far beyond their control they have no hope in escaping it. It's human nature to accomodate for this.

On some level, it can appear has exciting. It can be refreshing, or a day in which you caution yourself more. As long as your superstitions do not impede your life in some extraordinary manner, it is rather harmless and not to be distressed over.