This year (for those superstitious folks out there) we get the very rare opportunity to experience a Friday the 13th and a full moon on the same day – and that day is today. To celebrate I thought I would share a little history of Friday the 13th and (below) some interesting facts about Friday the 13th (from International Business Times).
According to folklorists, there is no written evidence for a “Friday the 13th” superstition before the 19th century. The earliest known documented reference in English occurs in Henry Sutherland Edwards’ 1869 biography of Gioachino Rossini, who died on a Friday 13th.
He [Rossini] was surrounded to the last by admiring friends; and if it be true that, like so many Italians, he regarded Fridays as an unlucky day and thirteen as an unlucky number, it is remarkable that on Friday 13th of November he passed away.
As for the fun facts:
ONE & DONE
While this Friday, June 13, may be a day full of fear for those who believe in its unlucky properties, the date will only occur once in 2014, the minimum appearance each calendar year. The superstitious will be happy to hear that unlike in 2015, after this Friday passes, the rest of this year might just be slightly less unlucky.
A VERY UNLUCKY YEAR
It turns out 2015 is set to be jam-packed with Friday the 13th celebrations. According to TimeandDate.com, the unlucky day will occur in February, March and November of 2015. The credulous will receive a break in 2016, with the date only occurring once in May, only to make its return two times in 2017 in January and October.
FULL MOON
As if the superstitious won’t be suffering enough this Friday the 13th, the date is also set to coincide with a full moon, an out-of-this-world omen considered by some to be responsible for interrupting the human psyche and the world’s natural balance. While the merging events may keep some fear-believers indoors this Friday, Space.com insists that the full moon will only be considered “full” at exactly 12:11 a.m. EDT. The Independent is reporting that this combination of events last occurred Oct. 13, 2000.
FRIGGATRISKAIDEKAPHOBIA
You may just call Friday the 13th believers scaredy-cats or overtly gullible, but for some of those who dread the freaky date’s arrival, the fear is considered genuine. According to a report from Medical News Today, Friggatriskaidekaphobia is the scientific name for those with a phobia of Friday the 13th. A similar phobia related to the holiday includes triskaidekaphobia, the fear of the number 13.
BIBLICAL TIMES
While Friday the 13th’s historical association with bad luck is unconfirmed, one report from LiveScience claims that its origins are believed to be traced back to biblical times. According to the site’s report, the association stems from the belief that the 13th guest to attend the Last Supper was thought to be the same person who betrayed Jesus prior to his death. His death, coincidentally, is said to have occurred on a Friday.
PLAYING HOOKY
I guess you can never be too careful. According to a December 2013 report from U.K. newspaper the Mirror, approximately 34 percent of the 72 percent of U.K. participants polled who believe in the holiday’s powers admit to wanting to “hide under their duvet” every Friday the 13th. While some English residents may be believers of the date’s spooky superstitions, they are reportedly not alone in their beliefs. According to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, N.C., an estimated $900 million in revenue is lost every Friday the 13th date due to individual’s fear of flying and working on the unlucky day.