We need a break; we’re guessing you could use one, too. With constant political chaos and extreme political polarization across the country, these are exhausting times for editorial writers — and for readers.
So, with this being the day between Thursday and Saturday — and the day between the 12th and the 14th of the month — we turn our attention to the paraskevidekatriaphobics among us. Those are the people who have a fear of Friday the 13th, and according to some estimates, they number 21 million in the United States. That means about one out of every 15 of our friends, neighbors and co-workers are tempted to spend the day hiding under the bed or lounging in the bunker they constructed for just such an occasion.
Phobias, after all, are not to be trifled with. And the fear of Friday the 13th is one that has roots tracing back to ancient times.
Humans long have been wary of the number 13 — even before the Last Supper that presaged the crucifixion of Jesus had 13 attendees. The number 12 in many ancient cultures symbolized completeness, playing a role in the establishment of 12 months in the year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 hours on the clock, 12 gods of Olympus, etc. But 13? Well, 13 just kind of mucked things up. If Judas had not been invited to the Last Supper, after all, human history would have been a whole lot different.
One theory holds that primitive humans could count to 12 — 10 fingers and two feet. But, as The Columbian has written editorially in the past: That presupposes that primitive humans did not have toes or never took off their Nikes to count on those toes. So we aren’t sure we buy that one.
Meanwhile, Friday also has long delivered superstitions upon the human psyche. Some people claim it was on a Friday that Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden — which certainly would be bad luck, but we kind of doubt the original couple had a calendar hanging on the Tree of Knowledge. Another theory suggests that Christ was crucified on a Friday, but the website JesusChrist.com says it was a Wednesday — and who are we to argue with anybody presumptuous enough to name their site JesusChrist.com?
Then there is the tale that says the British Navy christened a ship the H.M.S. Friday, hired Jim Friday to be the captain, sent it on its maiden voyage on a Friday — and that the ship was never heard from again. It’s a good story, a chilling story, but history tells us the British never had a ship named the H.M.S. Friday. We learned that from Wikipedia, and if you can’t believe Wikipedia, who can you believe?
Still, there is no doubt that Friday the 13th — and fear of that spot on the calendar — plays a role in our culture. It has spawned 12 slasher movies — because 13 would be overkill. It also has spawned a TV series, novels, video games and comic books designed to prey upon our fears of a particular day of the week falling on a particular day of the month.
While angst about 13 and anxiety about Friday date to ancient times, combining the two into a conflagration of dread is relatively new. It is only in the past century or so that Friday the 13th has been viewed as more ominous than, say, Thursday the 12th.
But to all of the paraskevidekatriaphobics out there, we wish you a safe, happy and worry-free Friday. Assuming that you make it through today unscathed, you can turn your attention to Friday, July 13 — just 13 weeks away.
