Friday the 13th: Lucky or UnLucky?

Do you have fear of the number 13th?  That's known officially as friggatriskaidekaphobia and paraskevidekatriaphobia. Did you think of calling in sick and not even leaving your house today because you're spooked?

Well, apparently, you're not the only one.  According to published reports, The Stress Management Centre and Phobia Institute, based in Asheville, N.C., estimates that $800 million to $900 million US is lost every time the 13th of the month falls on a Friday, as people avoid doing business or flying.

People who take  Friday the 13th seriously as an unlucky day can even suffer panic attacks.

According to psychology professors the superstition that associates Friday the 13th with bad luck is one of the most widespread in Western culture.

National Geographic's website reports that between 17 million and 21 million people in the U.S. suffer from some type of fear associated with the day.

There are several theories about where the fear of Friday the 13th originated.

Some Christians tie together the belief that Judas — who would eventually betray Christ — was the 13th guest at the Last Supper, and Christ was supposedly crucified on a Friday.  Other theologians have also theorized that Abel was slain by his brother Cain on Friday the 13th.

There's even a classic horror movie, entitled, Friday the 13th. In fact there were many sequels to the Friday the 13th movies  featuring Jason as a slashing murderer of teenagers, much like Michael Myers in the Halloween movies.

The movie came out in 1980,  trying to cash in on the success of Halloween.

I had a college friend who actually starred in the original Friday the 13th movie.  Laurie Bartram graduated from Liberty University with me after she became a Christian, but she was an actress prior to her life-changing experience.

She played Brenda - a girl who ended up getting an arrow through her head. This movie also starred Kevin Bacon in one of his earliest roles as Jack.

There are also some famous people born on Friday the 13th:

Fidel Castro, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen,  Rapper Tupac Shakur, who died on Friday the 13th, 1996 six days after being shot in Las Vegas; Butch Cassidy; Sam Patch, who was a dare devil who died on Friday, Nov. 13th, 1829 after jumping from the top of a water falls in Rochester, N.Y.

Read the complete articlehttp://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/01/12/f-friday-thirteenth.html