×

What’s With The Thirteens?

We’re pretty much acquainted with the Ides — and, yes, they do occur other months besides March though that of course was an especially unlucky date for Julius Caesar.

I stand corrected. (Thank you, Mr. Webster.) The ides are the 15th day of March, May, July or October or (get this: on) the 13th day of any other month in the ancient Roman calendar. Turns out the ides is actually this date and the seven days before it. None of my reference books mention it. (But I can tell you all about “ice”.) Regrettably, I know no ancient Romans.

All of which just muddies my subject which is supposed to be about the thirteenths and, specifically, Friday the thirteenths.

(I don’t need to count on my fingers to tell me the thirteenth is indeed our thirteenth numeral. It’s been one of those mornings.)

I once planned a wedding for February thirteenth. Bad idea. But why do buildings ignore that floor when numbering?

And why, specifically, have we grown superstitious about Fridays?

Turns out there’s a lot to learn about Fridays (with gratitude to Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase & Fable):

“Friday was regarded by the Norsemen as the luckiest day of the week, the day of weddings, etc., but among Christians it has been regarded as the unluckiest, because it was the day of the Crucifixion. While no longer a day of compulsory abstinence for Roman Catholics, they are urged to set Friday apart for some voluntary act of self-denial.

“Friday is the Sabbath for Mohammedans and they say that Adam was created on a Friday and it was on Friday that Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, and on a Friday they died. It is also held unlucky among Buddhists and Brahmins.

“In England the proverb is that ‘a Friday moon brings foul weather’; but it is not unlucky to be born on this day, since ‘Friday’s child is loving and giving’. It is held to be a bad day for ships to put to sea, but in 1492 Columbus set sail on a Friday and sighted land on a Friday. It was also called Hanging Day as it was a common day for executing condemned criminals.”

Certainly an unlucky day for those criminals.

“He who laughs on Friday will weep on Sunday.” (Well, not those criminals.) This line from Racine means sorrow follows in the wake of joy. Personally, I intend to stay more optimistic than that.

And the thirteenth? Again the Brewer: “It is said that the origin of sitting down 13 at a table being deemed unlucky is because, at a banquet in Valhalla, Loki once intruded, making 13 guests and Balder was slain.” (Well . . . OK, if you say so.) But “in Christian countries, the superstition was confirmed by the Last Supper of Christ and His Twelve Apostles.”

Not particularly helpful, if one were to ask me.

The Readers’ Digest had a more interesting article on the subject.

“On Friday, Oct. 13, 1307, the French rounded up thousands of Knights Templars and tortured them as heretics. Some wonder whether this was the beginning of the whole Friday the 13th mythology (if it is a myth …).

“On Friday, Nov. 13, 1829, 10,000 people gathered to watch Sam Patch jump into New York’s Genesee River from atop the Genesee Falls. Only weeks earlier, he’d leaped off Niagara Falls and into the Niagara River and survived. He wasn’t as lucky this time.

“On Friday, Oct. 13, 2006, nearly half a million people lost power when Buffalo, New York, and the surrounding suburbs were buried under 22 to 24 inches of snow. Western New York is used to a lot of snow, but 24 inches? In October?

“On Friday, April 13, 2029, Asteroid 99942 Apophis is forecast to pass Earth a scant 18,000 miles away, closer than any of the satellites we’ve put into orbit.

And “On every Friday the 13th, the world’s economy apparently loses about $900 million because people are scared to work and travel on this date, says Donald Dassey, founder of the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute.”

Sounds like a fascinating place to work. But not on Friday the Thirteenth.

Susan Crossett has lived outside Cassadaga for more than 20 years. A lifetime of writing led to these columns as well as two novels. Her Reason for Being was published in 2008 with Love in Three Acts following in 2014. Both novels are now available at Lakewood’s Off the Beaten Path bookstore. Information on all the Musings, her books and the author may be found at Susancrossett.com.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

COMMENTS

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today