"Madame, bear in mind That princes govern all things--save the wind." -Victor Hugo, The Infanta's Rose

Friday, June 13, 2008

Feeling paraskevidekatriaphobic?

None of the 17 million or so people worldwide who suffer from paraskevidekatriaphobia -- the fear of Friday the 13th -- will read this post, as they are no doubt at home in bed, cowering under the covers until the day is officially over at midnight. And perhaps they're onto something, because I can in fact say with absolute, 100% certainty that anyone who leaves their home today, Friday, June 13, 2008, is going to die!1

Ironically, a study published today by the Dutch Center for Insurance Statistics showed that fewer accidents and reports of fire and theft occur when the 13th of the month falls on a Friday than on other Fridays; the study revealed an average of 7,800 traffic accidents each Friday, with the figure dropping to just 7,500 when the 13th fell on a Friday. This may be because people are trying to be extra-careful, or instead remain at home on the supposedly unlucky day. It is claimed that businesses lose in the neighborhood of $800 to $900 million on this day because many people will not board airline flights or do other things they would otherwise normally do.

Superstitions about Friday being a lucky, or unlucky day (depending on your belief) have their roots in Norse mythology, and the number 13 has been considered bad luck since ancient times. Put the two together and you have double trouble. See this site for origins of Friday the 13th lore, or check out the Snopes page for more information.

Personally, today has been no different than any other for me. Still, Mrs. Toast and I don't plan on inviting eleven guests over for dinner tonight. (No sense taking chances.)

What about you?




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4 Comments:

  • At 6/15/2008 01:16:00 PM, Blogger SupaCoo said…

    I kind of forgot it was Friday the 13th until the day was over, God bless the beauty of being 8 hours ahead. And I don't think Germans are scared of anything, except maybe bad beer.

     
  • At 6/17/2008 01:42:00 PM, Blogger Sphincter said…

    I kind of dig Friday the 13th. Anything screwy that happens can just be chalked up to it quickly and easily.

     
  • At 6/26/2008 12:58:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Oh, for crying out loud! I lost every key I had on Fri. 13th - a big wad of keys on one of those climbers' hooks. Am still trying to reconstruct the mess. Don't ever try to get car keys from the dealer with just the VIN# to go by. I did, but they don't work. :-(
    Woe is me, my car won't start and I have no idea how many keys actually disappeared.
    Fri. the 13th SUCKS!

     
  • At 6/29/2008 09:58:00 AM, Blogger Synchronicity said…

    i survived it! when does the next one happen?

     

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