Wish You A Safe Friday The 13^th

Unlucky number thirteen plus a Friday…. While Friday brings with itself, hopes of a fun filled weekend, and a break from our exhaustive schedules, the addition of the number 13 to its attributes kind of makes the day creepy, if not scary, right??? The fear of the day when the two combine is widely known as ‘PARASKEVIDEKTRIAPHOBIA’

Don’t ask me how is it pronounced, I had to copy- paste the entire word myself. So, is this fear just a blasphemous trend being passed from generation to generation, or is there even a tinge of reality behind the world’s most infamous belief which grips nearly 20million citizens of the U.S alone, not to forget the approximate loss of $800 million to business every time the duo combine, which is largely in stock markets ;since people tend to be ultra safe in transactions on such days

Myth or reality, all Fridays, the 13^th have been marked with black ink ever since Jesus Christ was crucified on a similar day, a FRIDAY ,Yes it was the 13^th, and yes that was, after he was betrayed by his disciple, Judas during the Last Supper. Interestingly, Judas was the 13^th man at the Last Supper, the others being -11 apostles and Jesus himself!!! Another reason for the day not having a particularly favourable image in the eyes of most of us is the supposed brutal crucification of the order of The Knight Templar, a reference of which has been made in Dan Brown’s much hyped -not to forget, controversial- novel, DaVinci  Code. So when did the crucification take place, any guesses??? October,1307, FRIDAY THE 13^TH  !!!!

Regardless of how rationale the space between your ears is, the day, sure sends a slight shiver down your spine. Beyond doubt, the day has a certain, unavoidable mystique, associated with itself.

A little knowledge about mythology shows us how the number 13 isn’t exactly a lucky charm anyways. The magical number 12 signifies completeness, as is perceivable, going by the 12 months of a year, the twelve zodiac signs, the 12 hours in a clock, the 12 apostles of Jesus or the 12 Gods of Olympus. Now adding a single integer to it sucks out all the perceivable stability of the number and forms an equally incomplete, unstable and dangerous number 13, one that only disturbs the delicate balance of completeness and stability. Not convinced yet?? Here is a timeline to chew upon---

FRIDAY THE 13^th

• 1915-Eatrthquake in Arizzano, Italy kills 29,800 innocents.
• 1939-Black Friday Bush fire burns 20000 sq. km area in Australia, along with 71 humans, not to forget the infinite wildlife that perished.
• 1943-Hitler declares ‘TOTAL WAR’, the repurcussions of which are visible till date.
• 2001-Earthquake measuring 7.6 on the richter scale hits El  Salvador, again killing thousands of people.

Still not sufficient?? Read on then…

Pissed about all the hype this day was getting, a group of like-minded people decided to start a new club, “The 13^th club”. So these guys were supposed to meet on every Friday the 13^th, I say supposed to, since one Friday, the 13^th was all that they could outlive since this novel idea struck their heads. 3 days since the first meeting was held, the whole bunch leaves for their heavenly abode, all thanks to a most bizarre accident. Want more?? You got it..

Most high rise buildings avoid numbering any floor 13^th, as is the case with streets and apartments. However, when one Gregon Johnson, does decide to number the 13^th floor of his building as ‘13’, the building collapses-3 days into its completion- and that too, till the 13^th floor. Since then, it has been structurally sound…

So, guys I am not asking you not to venture out of your house on such days, nor am I asking you to link everything bad that happens on such a day to it being a FRIDAY the 13^th. All that I am saying is that you can’t deny the legitimacy of the fear and awe that the day commands among so many people. With that note, to all the believers and non-believers, I wish u a very safe Friday the 13^th. Tudoooo.