Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1918-06-14
UNLUCKY FRIDAY IS
OF HISTORIC ORIGIN
Believed By Some 10 Have Survived
on Account of CrucifIXiOn;
AnciCnts Afraid.

II is often said that this is skep- |
tlcal age and perhaps IT is. At any
rate 1t is true that a great many peo-
Pile possess a lively faith In the Ill
luck OF opening an umbrella In tho
house. stumbling upstairs, passing
between the carriages Of q funera
and sitting thirteen AT n table. Per
haps the most widespread and pow
erful OF these superstItlons Is in the
ill-luck OF Friday,
Many people refuse to begin any.
thing on Friday. Few plays are ever
given their first production on that
day All evil accidents that take
place on Friday are blamed on the
character of the day These nations
prevail not only among the poor
and ignorant, but among educated
people. Napoleon's superstititions
In this direction are well known,
Bismarck Is said to hay ,gritten to
hisRwife;
'I have not had such good luck
In hunting today as | had three
years ago. but then 1t is Friday"
Gambetta and Felix Faure are
said to have arranged their affairs
In reference to lucky days.
In many places II isy unlucky TO
receive any news, whether good or
bad, on Friday. and according to
Shropshire saying:
"If you hear anything new on n
| Friday II gives you another wrinkle
on your face and adds another year
to your age"
Indeed the expression Friday
| faced" used to mean q sour, morose
! countenance, as in the following
quotations from "wily Begulled."
an old English drama;
Marry. out upon him!' What n
Friday faced slave he Is. | think In
my conscience ehis face never keeps
holidays"
Friday Execution Day.
II was an ancient custom In Eng
land to appoint Friday as the day
for the execution of criminals, and
until recently the same was the case
In America, but through the persis-
ltent efforts OF the Thirteen club OF
New York, whose object IL the dis-
couragement OF superstitions this
practice has been partially discpn
tlnued.
The people of Gascony are equally
credulous. Any one who starts on n
journey. on horseback on Friday,
they saSp runs great risk OF being
thrown off and killed IL Is good
day, however, Tor making vinegar,
because our Lord. while on the
cross. was given vinegar to drink.
In Alsace Friday is never chosen
for wedding day, az Il is foremost
OF the witch days when evil spirits
are abroad and exceedingly active,
on the other hand, in Hesse and
I tgf haV tiA Ff n FNN IFVts a ~
In considered particularly lucky for
marriages. This Is less surprising
than the usual notion, for the sixth
day OF the week was nnclently ded-
icated to Freya. the Teutonic god
dcss of love, and In Latin countries
TO Venus.
Originated In Cruclflxion.
The commonly accepted theory OF
the origin of the belief in the bad
luck of Friday is that the crucifixjou
OF Christ took place on that day. 1t
Is probable. however, that II goes
back to u much earlier date, for sim
liar ideas are current among the in,
habitants of heather countries. ms
in Hindustan, for example The
crucifixion may possibly account for
the survival OF this belief, II not for
It's origin. Many other days were
once regarded with similar distrust,
which has since odied out while the
tragic associations OF Friday were
kept before the public mind by ia
being n fast day. In antiquity there
were "Egyptiac or ERytan daysQnl
an ancient calendar Of the year 334.
in the reign Of Constantine the
Great 26 Egyptian days were des-
ignated.
At an earlier period however the
church authorities forbade the SUI
pcrstitious observance Of these days.
In sO-called Book OF Prccedents,' %
printed I'm 1916, SO days are men
toned as being "suclpas the Egyp-
tians noted to be dangerous to begin
or take anything in hand. or TO take
a journey or any such thing AS
trologers formerly specified partic-
ular days when it was dangerous for
physicians to bleed patients; and cs.
pecially to be avoided were the tirs'
Monday in April on which Cain
4 was born and his brother Abel
slain; the first Monday in August,
y the alleged anniversary OF the dee
c struction of Sodom and Gomorrah
3 and the last Monday in Deceu her,
= which was the reputcd birthday OF
Judas IscarioL