[at-l] Friday the 13th

[nealb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (William Neal)]

Interesting story, but I wonder if that date was chosen to match the
superstitions involved with Fridays and with the number 13?

Christ died on a Friday.  Friday was a traditional day of fasting,
abstinence, penance, etc.  So it was an ill favored day.  Especially in the
middle ages.

13 was a bad luck number that goes way back.  But it took on special
significance due to "covens" being composed of 13.  Also because of the
original 13 Christians (Christ and his 12 disciples), one was Judas.  And
while you can count to 12 by using your fingers and then opening each hand
(10 fingers, 1 left hand, & 1 right hand) some people might get confused
when they got to 13. ;-)

And since Friday the 13ths do not occur every month, probably it was
considered a day to watch out for bad luck.  Which means any bad luck that
occured on that day was remembered while the good luck was taken for
granted.*  So maybe the guy chose that day for effect.

William, The Turtle

--  Why do I have the feeling that lightening is going to strike my computer
today?  --

*	Research has shown when something bad happens (such as bad service
at a restaurant), people are apt to tell about the "awful service" to at
least 15 people.  While if they get "great service", they are apt to tell 8
people.  And they are more like to talk about the bad things than then are
about good things.  Good things are often taken for granted.

-----Original Message-----
From: Billie H. Cleek [mailto:cleek@cleekhouse.com]
Sent: Thursday, March 13, 2003 9:52 AM
To: AT-L
Subject: [at-l] Friday the 13th


Lots of answers to that question, but I believe the one you're looking
for is the first one here:

http://www.urbanlegends.com/misc/friday_the_13th_origins.html

Read the rest, too; it's pretty interesting.

Cleek
--
"We will be better and braver if we engage and inquire than if we indulge in
the idle fancy that we already know -- or that it is of no use seeking to
know what we do not know" -- Plato