VFK Friday the 13th Superstition Quest

February 13, 2009
 February 14, 2009	VFK Friday the 13th Superstition Quest
==Description==
The number 13 and also the sixth day of the week carry unlucky connotations which go back to ancient times. Their coincidence several times a year causes many people to want to stay in bed all day instead of braving the hazards of increased misfortune. In 2009, there are three such conjunctions with two of them in consecutive months. So what is so unlucky about the number 13 and why is it even more unlucky on Friday? On today's quest, we will look into what has happened in the past concerning the day after Thursday and the unmentionable number between 12 and 14, to make them so unlucky.<BR><BR><BR>
===Prizes===
===Questions===
1. According to the experts, the irrational fear of Friday the 13th is the most widespread superstition in the US. People refrain from doing things they normally do like going to work, or eating out in restaurants or driving a car. For many people the thought of having a wedding on that date is unheard of. It is so widespread that this phobia of Friday the 13th has been given a name. What are people who are afflicted with an irrational fear of Friday the 13th called? 
* Skareteraphobics
* Paraskevidekatriaphobics
* Paraphytonochotics
* Thirteenolophobics<BR><BR>
2. So how many people actually suffer from this crippling phobia in the US? The doctor who coined the term, paraskevidekatriaphobia, Dr. Donald Dossey is a psychotherapist who specializes in patients with phobias. He estimated that there are as many as 21 million people who are afflicted with a fear of Friday the 13th. This means that approximately 8 percent of the US population is affected by this ancient superstition. Here are some other common superstitions: "A rabbit's foot brings good luck;" "An apple a day keeps the doctor away," and "Clothes worn inside out will bring good luck." Go to the dark lobby of the Fourth of July Fireworks Game in Victorian Age and say another superstition. Say "It is bad luck to chase someone with a broom."<BR><BR>
3. So exactly how old is this superstition that Friday the 13th is unlucky? When it comes to the origins of superstitions, it is mostly guesswork and no one can say exactly when people began associating the number 13 with bad luck. There are several theories, however, with some of the most ancient theories supporting 13 as a lucky number. The Egyptians during the time of the pharaohs considered 13 to be lucky. The Egyptians believed that you went through twelve stages in this life and one more, the thirteenth which was the eternal afterlife. In this way, the number 13, although it was associated with passing from this world, represented a desirable transformation. It is thought that this is where the association of the number 13 with death began, but it turned to fear instead of reverence. What other culture thought of 13 as lucky?
* The Persians
* The Romans
* The Greeks
* The Chinese<BR><BR>
4. One of the earliest theories of the origin of 13 being unlucky is associated with the Hindus. People are unsure why, but the Hindus believed that it was unlucky for 13 people to gather together for any reason, including dinner. This same superstition has also been associated with the ancient Vikings. The story goes that 12 Norse gods attended a banquet at Valhalla. Loki, god of mischief, had not been invited but attended, putting the attendance of the banquet at 13. He caused all sorts of havoc inciting Hod, the god of winter to attack Balder the Good. Hod killed Balder with a spear of mistletoe. The Norse decided from this story that 13 dinner guests is bad luck. Go to the waterfall room in Australia and say this common superstition: "Eating fish makes you smart."<BR><BR>
5. Some of the issues with the sixth day of the week, Friday, have ancient origins. You have only to look in the pages of the Bible to find some very negative happenings on Fridays. Some notorious Fridays: Adam and Eve transgressed on Friday; the great Flood began on Friday, and the Temple of Solomon was destroyed on Friday. Some ancient cultures believed that Friday was a day of worship, so if you engaged in activities on that day that were selfish or secular, than you would not be blessed by the gods. This is thought to explain why some legends say that you should not start a journey on Friday or you will be plagued with bad luck. Or, another superstition, that if you change your bed on Friday, you will have nightmares. The name "Friday" comes from the name of the Norse god worshiped on Friday, Frigg or Freya. She was a goddess of:
* harvest
* marriage
* weather
* good luck<BR><BR>
6. This Norse god, Frigg/Freya corresponded with the Roman god Venus, goddess of love. The Romans named Friday after Venus or "dies Veneris." In the Teutonic peoples, Friday was thought to be very lucky and because of its association with the Norse goddess of marriage and the Roman goddess of love, a great day to get married. Over time, the Norse goddess was portrayed as bad and her special day of Friday, associated with evil happenings. Go to the inside of Mister Ned's Livery stable and say this common superstition: "A cricket in the house brings good luck."<BR><BR>
7. Because of the belief that ships that set sail on a Friday would encounter misfortune, a hundred years ago, the British government decided to dispel the superstition once and for all. It commissioned a special ship called the H.M.S Friday. Milestones in her creation were having her keel laid on Friday, being launched on Friday, having her crew hired on Friday, engaging her captain who was named Jim Friday and leaving on her maiden voyage on Friday. What happened to the H.M.S Friday? 
* The ship returned home uneventfully.
* The ship encountered misfortune, but returned safely.
* The ship was attacked by pirates.
* The ship was never heard from or seen again.<BR><BR>
8. Superstitions are very ingrained in our culture. For example, these common superstitions are so much a part of our everyday lives, that we think nothing about them: "Make a wish, then if you blow out all of the candles on your birthday cake with your first breath you will get your wish;" "A beginner will always have good luck: beginner's luck;" and "Crossing your fingers helps to avoid bad luck and helps a wish come true." Go to the back of the Sydney Opera House and say another common superstition: "To open an umbrella in the house is to bring bad luck."<BR><BR>
9. So far, even though some insinuations have been made which might connect Friday with the number 13, there have not been any direct associations bringing these two separate veins of folklore together. This occurrence would be what finally marked Friday the 13th as the most unlucky day ever, however, it is conspicuously missing. No one seems to know what really combined them forever in people's minds. There are a few theories, and actual catastrophes which could have cemented them together in the past, however none that could be particularly pointed out as marking Friday the 13th as the most misfortunate day ever. In fact, some scholars are now thinking that the Friday the 13th hype is a modern superstition. One theory is that this coming together of Friday and 13 occurred in the pages of a book published in 1907. What was the name of this book?
* Thirteen Unlucky
* Friday, an Unlucky Day
* A Series of Unfortunate Events
* Friday, the Thirteenth<BR><BR>
10. Evidence for Friday the 13th to be marked as a modern phenomenon, can be found in the pages of another book. If you look in the 1898 edition of the voluminous "Dictionary of Phrase and Fable," you will find entries for "Friday, an Unlucky Day" and "Thirteen Unlucky," however; it only has a very brief reference to the two together. The entry says "Friday the Thirteenth: A particularly unlucky Friday. See Thirteen." This implies that the extra unluckiness of the two together is merely due to adding two unlucky things up and getting more unluckiness. Overall, if you have a concern, spend Friday the 13th in bed in the safety of your home with your clothes inside out, your fingers crossed and a four leafed clover in hand. Go to Main Street in front of the Gift Shoppe and say "If you walk under a ladder, you will have bad luck."<BR><BR>
===Answers===
1. Paraskevidekatriaphobics
2. Go to the 4th of July Fireworks Game and say, "It is bad luck to chase someone with a broom."
3. The Chinese
4. Go to the Waterfall and say, "Eating fish makes you smart."
5. marriage
6. Go to the the inside of Livery Stable and say, "A cricket in the house brings good luck."
7. The ship was never heard from or seen again.
8. Go to the Sydney Opera House Back and say, "To open an umbrella in the house is to bring bad luck."
9. Friday, the Thirteenth
10. Go to Main Street and stand in front of the Gift Shoppe and say, "If you walk under a ladder, you will have bad luck."
Category:Quests