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Friday the
13th
by
Maggie Van Ostrand |
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Friday
the 13th is upon us and, despite our best efforts to resist that which
we don't believe we believe, superstitions rule the day.
We walk more carefully, watch out for black cats crossing our path,
and knock on wood. We don't care that a rabbit's foot didn't bring
very good luck to the hapless bunny who owned it, we rub it anyway.
Even if we don't like our mother, we won't step on a crack and break
her back.
These superstitions are rampant in America, though we usually scoff
when accused of being superstitious and deny everything, insisting
we're too mature to believe in such nonsense.
The popular, humorous magazine, Mental Floss, has come up with some
facts about Friday the 13th, which I herewith pass on to my loyal
readers, to wit:
1. Is the fear of Friday the 13th based on the fear of the number
thirteen itself?
Yes. And when you think about it, 13 is when numbers reach a new level
when it comes to common items. There are 12 months in a year, 12 inches
in a foot, 12 items in a dozen, 12 signs of the zodiac, and when we
learn our multiplication tables in school, they go all the way up
to 12 times 12. While some think that Christianity deems the number
unlucky, researchers have determined that the modern-day fear of 13
is based on Norse mythology. According to the story, 12 gods were
dining at Valhalla when a 13th guest named Loki joined the party.
Loki ended up causing the death of Balder, the Norse god of light
and joy. From that day forward, the legend goes, the number 13 has
been unlucky.
2. Is there anyplace in the world where Friday the 13th is considered
lucky?
There are a few places, in fact. In China and much of Asia, the date
is considered fortunate, or at the very least not unlucky. You'd have
to go down under to find the people who really think Friday the 13th
is lucky, however. In Australia, lottery agents report a brisk business
every Friday the 13th, selling 50 percent more tickets than average
on that day.
3. NASA tells us that a Friday the 13th coming up several years
from now might be exciting.
That's what they say, yes. In 2004, the organization's Near Earth
Object Program reported that a sizeable asteroid had a one-in-60 chance
of colliding with Earth on Friday, April the 13th, 2029. The thousand-foot-wide
asteroid would cause major damage wherever it hit. They predicted
massive tsunamis if it hit the ocean, or destruction of an area the
size of Texas if it hit land. Luckily, further calculations determined
that the asteroid will miss the Earth by about 20,000 miles, but that
will still be close enough for it to put on quite a visual show in
the sky. As it turns out, an asteroid that size gets that close to
Earth only about once every 1,000 years.
4. Who were the three scariest guys to be born on Friday the 13th?
Mental Floss researchers chose three. First is Christopher Plummer,
the long-serving Canadian actor who has appeared in dozens of films
over the past fifty years, including many horror pictures. The second
is Steve Buscemi, whose gaunt appearance has served him well in roles
in films like "Fargo" and "Con Air," in which he portrayed a serial
killer. But the spookiest person born on Friday the 13th has to be
Alfred Hitchcock. He was born on Friday, August 13, 1899. The Master
of Suspense died back in 1980, but had he lived to be 100, Hitchcock
would have hit the century mark in August of 1999, again on Friday
the 13th. |
5. Does Friday
the 13th really have an impact on the U.S. economy?
According to an ABC News report from 2005, businesses lose nearly
one billion dollars every Friday the 13th, owing to everything from
people who stay home from work to those who won't travel on the unlucky
day. Some of this loss is due to lower volume on the stock market,
but investors shouldn't be frightened of Friday the 13th. A study
looking at stock prices over the last 50 years proved that the Dow
performs better on Friday the 13th than on other Fridays. |
Friday the
13th Quiz:
What's the
maximum number of Friday the 13ths that can occur in any given calendar
year?
A. one
B. two
C. three
D. four
ANSWER BELOW |
Those
in the Biblical know say that Adam and Eve were expelled from the
Garden of Eden on a Friday, Noah's flood started on a Friday, and
Christ was crucified on a Friday. Christians also noted that twelve
witches plus one devil are present at Satanic ceremonies so Friday
and 13 make a deadly combination.
Admittedly, we love to be scared, as shown by our actions at Halloween
and our reactions at scary movies. But Friday the 13th is the opposite
-- we do everything we can to NOT be scared or have bad luck.
We don't walk under ladders, throw spilled salt over our left shoulder,
don't break mirrors causing seven years of bad luck. We don't put
our hat on a bed, open an umbrella in the house, or return a borrowed
dish empty.
So be careful out there. On Friday the 13th, The Force will not be
with you. |
Answer:
C. three.
Every calendar year has at least one Friday the 13th, but no more
than three of them can occur in any year. |
Copyright
Maggie Van Ostrand
"A Balloon In Cactus"
>
October
4, 2006 column
Email: maggie@maggievanostrand.com |
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