Friday, June 13, 2014

Do you have a fear of Friday the 13th?


The Algonquin tribes first called a June full moon a strawberry moon because it coincided with the best time to pick the fruit.
 A full moon on Friday the 13th in June hasn't happened since 1919.  The next one won’t happen again until June 13, 2098.
Paraskavedekatriaphobia (or friggatriskaidekaphobia) are the scientific terms for fear of Friday the 13th. Triskaidekaphobia is fear of the number 13.
Some believe the number 13 has been unlucky since the Last Supper of Christ, where thirteen people were in attendance.
Friday the 13th traces back to a Dutch holiday where mischievous children would sneak into graveyards at night and defecate on tombstones.
One psychotherapist, who specializes in the treatment of phobias, asserts that 21 million Americans fear Friday the 13th, according to information from About.com .

Most skyscrapers do not include a thirteenth floor.  Gregory Johnson bravely included a thirteenth floor in his designs for the Empire State Building in New York.  Three days after its completion, on a Friday, the weight of the building caused it to buckle and it crushed the thirteenth floor.  It has been structurally sound ever since.
In 1881, a group of New Yorkers started The 13 Club, aimed at removing the superstitious stigma from the number.  At their first meeting on Friday the 13th, all thirteen members walked under a ladder into a room filled spilled salt and broken mirrors.  They all died in a freak accident involving a runaway truck and a rabid wolverine on its way to be put down.
Want to avoid bad luck on Friday the 13th? There are a number of things you can do to ward off ill fate, according to superstition: Touch wood, cross your fingers, avoid black cats, don't look at the full moon through a pane of glass, and throw salt over each shoulder.

No matter what your superstitions, I wish you a fabulous day!

Sharing my fabulous finds with Kim at Friday Finds.



10 comments:

  1. Diane, what an interesting post. I love the stories that define our culture, and I really had no idea where the superstition surrounding Friday the 13th came from. In fact, I didn't even realize that today is Friday the 13th - until I read your post. As a kid, in the 6th grade, I had a very stern teacher who admonished, "Superstition is ignorance." From that time, I determined that I certainly did not want to be ignorant, and so have blindly ignored superstitions. Your photos for today add texture and mystery to your stories - beautifully composed and edited.

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  2. This has been a very interesting post, well the 13th June is one of my best friends birthdays so it is always a good day. It is even better because she is older than me... LOL and I let her know it too.

    Happy Friday 13th to you.

    Oh and I forgot Yoda is in the post this week for the desks here is the link.

    http://queenartoypia.blogspot.com.au/2014/06/woyww-262.html

    Hugs Eliza

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  3. Uh, oh... if I wasn't scared before, I am now ... ;)

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  4. We are flying the face of Friday the 13th today and touring the Northern Michigan Asylum in Traverse City.

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  5. I popped in for a WOWW and read this. Fun, interesting pictorial post. I am only mildly superstitious, but love the whole phenomenon around 13. Rabid wolverines...who knew?
    We visited the Winchester House once. I would go there again. The builder Mrs Winchester was obsessed with 13 also. Thanks for the entertainment with my morning cuppa. Keep smiling and creating.

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  6. Not abit superstitious. And that there is a full moon, I think is a good sign. Even though it has been raining non-stop for days, and we can't actually see the full moon. Cool post, Diane. Have a terrific weekend! Aloha

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  8. Such interesting tidbits about the number 13. I didn't even realize yesterday was Friday the 13th until I had to sign some documents. Photos are gorgeous and the texture and character on the old barn are a great find.

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  9. Dianne,

    In answer to your learning the cards, it really was so simple, like colour the parts of the butterfly and then with some left over ink that was already on the distress pad I dabbed it all over the areas that were not inked. It had to be a simple and mostly white card.

    I accentuated the card by putting a black layer behind the white then mounted that onto white card. It makes it pop a bit better. If you have any questions just email me the link is on my blog.

    Oh Yoda says thanks for the rub, I am off to bed now after working all night and to give him his cuddle.

    Hugs Eliza

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  10. Wonderful images! I love the textures. I was away from the internet this weekend... I didn't even realize it was Friday the 13th. You have some great facts about Friday the 13th. I think I would have been worried if I read it on Friday. :) My husband's car did break down, hum...

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