Friday, February 13, 2009

Paraskavedekatriaphobia

Friday the 13th. Freddy returns.

Why is Friday the 13th considered a bad day? Most researches believe it is a combination of two elements: first, Jesus was crucified on a Friday. Second, though 13 is considered a lucky number in China, it is an unlucky number in the west.

The unlucky day received little notice until early in the 20th century, though it had long been held as an unlucky day. The tradition gained popularity when a book, cleverly titled Friday the Thirteenth was published in 1907. That seemed to solidify the tradition, that and Freddy!

BTW, Paraskavedekatriaphobia is the fear of Friday the 13th. Anybody know the name of the spelling bee phobia?