Were you quaking in your boots last
Friday?

If you are just a tiny bit
superstitious you were probably trembling a little in at least one of
them.

If you were Jeremy Corbin, the UK
Labour leader (that is nearly WAS), when most of the UK Election
results were announced (even if the election actually took place the
day before), he most likely (if not then) will blame it on Friday
13th. He surprisingly, lost by a landslide. One that had
not occurred since the Margaret Thatcher era in the 1980's.

If you were Boris Johnson, the UK
Conservative Leader, Friday 13th wasn't a bad day at all.
The superstition of bad luck surrounding the day was a non event.

Therefore, Friday 13th, and
its bad rap is just bunkum.

The superstition that its bad luck to
walk under a ladder does carry some weight. It really is not a good
idea. There is a chance that something or someone might fall on you.

So why on earth is Friday 13th
regarded with such fear by some members of the community?

According to a number of surveys, at
least 10 percent of people living in the United States believe that
the number 13 reverberates “bad juju”.

According to the website 'ALLURE”
superstition surrounding the number 13 “began in the 17th century,
though they can't identify one singular event that sparked its bad
reputation. It wasn't until the 20th century, however, that the
number 13's infamy exploded — fueled, perhaps not surprisingly, by
a work of fiction. In 1907, businessman and author Thomas Lawson
published a novel entitled Friday, the Thirteenth about a rogue
broker who chose that date to destroy the stock market.

“Subsequently, the concept of
"unlucky number 13" entered the zeitgeist, and by 1910, the
term triskaidekaphobia, which means "fear of the number 13,"
was coined by a pioneering psychologist, further perpetuating the
superstition. The myth about the number's unlucky attributes
continued to build throughout the 20th century, and in 1980, its
place in the collective conscious — along with its connection to
Friday — was solidified by the slasher film Friday the 13th.

“Today, the number 13 is synonymous
with misfortune and the macabre. High-rise buildings are often
constructed “without” a thirteenth floor, and hotels, hospitals,
and airports avoid using the number on rooms or gates. Friday the
13th is considered the “unluckiest” day of the year, which
ultimately leads to millions of lost revenue.

“People tend not to shop, travel, or
schedule important events on Friday the 13, and according to CNBC,
businesses lose hundreds of millions of dollars because of it. And
while no one really knows why the number 13 has such a bad
reputation, over the years, several convincing theories have been
posited as to why the figure is so haunted.” -
https://www.allure.com/story/why-is-number-13-unlucky

And I believed it was all based on the
Christian Holy Bible. During the Last Supper, the final meal Jesus
shared with his Twelve Apostles before his crucifixion, Judas was
believed to be the 13th guest.

Back to the ALLURE website it says the
number 13, although not innately unlucky it does have a terrible
position coming after the number 12. You see, 12 is the only positive
integer considered a “sublime number,” and in terms of its
numerical and cultural symbolism, it is quite literally perfect.

“According to Broadly astrologer
Annabel Gat, “Humans are kind of obsessed with symmetry. [There
are] 12 zodiac signs, 12 apostles, a dozen roses, 12 days of
Christmas — a 360 circle divides neatly into 12, and we just love
order. Then 13 comes along and throws everything off balance.”

As the number immediately following
magical 12, it makes sense that 13 feels strange, off-balanced, and
flawed. Many systems of measurement conclude at 12, so the presence
of 13 is both unexpected and unwelcome. It exposes imperfection and
abstraction, so naturally, our ancient ancestors — who depended on
natural order — feared this figure.”

And finally the last reason is given as
being rooted in sexism:

There are 13 menses annually along with
13 lunar cycles (the moon is supposedly feminine). Therefore, the
number 13 reflects female oppression, For many years women were made
to feel ashamed when they were having their periods.

There are many instances of mishaps and
deaths occurring on Friday 13th, although I suspect there
are many similar occurrences historically on every day of the week
over the many years. No one has bothered to analyze them.

I list some of them, just for interest
and maybe some of our readers can find some more:

In France, Friday the 13th often fell
on the day after the Feast of Saint Imbibecus. Thus the day was
often associated with terrible hangovers and poor choices made the
night before.

The Aztecs brutally killed 39,000 in
one day on Friday the 13th of August, 1539. This was done at the
request of the recently arrived Hernan Cortez, who claimed to be a
god seeking tribute. The next day he overthrew their empire.

Hammurabi’s Code, the first set of
state initiated laws, omits the number 13, leading some to believe
the superstition dates back to Babylon in 1700 BC.

Genghis Khan is said to have tasted his
first defeat on Friday the 13th.

Three days after the completion of the
Empire State Building in New York., on a Friday, the weight of the
building caused it to buckle and it crushed the thirteenth floor.
This floor was never replaced. Even today many buildings omit a
thirteenth floor.

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.

On Friday June 13th of 1952 nine
overcrowded city buses crashed into each other in downtown Boston.

At dawn on Friday, Oct. 13, 1307, in
the kingdom of France, government agents swooped in on every property
belonging to the world-famous Knights Templar, arrested their members
on false charges and began a process of interrogation, public
examination and reputational demolition that ended four and a half
years later with the order being dissolved.

And last, but not least, the “Friday
the 13th” American horror franchise that comprises twelve slasher
films, a television series, novels, comic books, video games, and
tie in merchandise.

Friday 13th is indeed very
lucky for some. It WAS and WASN'T.