Just few days ago we witnessed a date that the entire humanity fears – Friday, the 13th. Lot of people avoid staying on the 13th floor or room number 13th.
Because of the popularity of this superstition, many hotels skip that number on their room numbers or other particulars. All they want is happy customers! Why do people fear the number 13? And why is it associated with Friday? Today, let us try to answer these questions.
Origins : Superstitions – Thirteen
The superstition originated in Ancient India where 13 people sitting together were considered inauspicious. It rose to fame because it is believed that Jesus Christ was crucified on Friday and Judas who was the 13th man to arrive at the Last Supper, betrayed the Lord. This belief is so strong that misfortune of Apollo 13 is attributed to that number in its name.
Believers of this superstition, support their argument by courting the incident when the arrest of the Knights Templar was ordered by Philip IV of France on Friday, October 13, 1307. Despite the strength of this superstition, many Americans fail to realize the connection between the number 13 and the one-dollar bill. Let me point it out here.
- 13 steps on the pyramid of the Great Seal
- 13 letters in “Annuit Coeptis”
- 13 stripes in the shield on the eagle
- 13 stars above the eagle
- 13 letters in “E Pluribus Unum”
- 13 arrows in the eagle’s left talon
- 13 leaves, and likewise, 13 fruits on the olive branch in its right talon
What would the superstitious people say about this? Whatever they may say, it’s a fact that the superstition about Friday the 13th still has a hold on a large number of people. So how was your Friday the 13th this year?
