Why Are Louisiana People Terrified Of Friday The 13th?
It's a day that some people just can't bare to brave. Friday the 13th! The fear of the day is so real, it spawned one of the greatest horror franchises of all time.
History.com points out that the number 12 is associated with completeness or "perfection". Even the Holy Bible points that out.
There were 12 tribes of Israel. 12 apostles. There are 12 months in a year. 12 zodiac signs. Heck, there are even the 12 days of Christmas. 12 is complete.
But, add one more, and even people in Louisiana, who aren't scared of much, tend to get a little hinky when it comes to that dreaded 13.
And here we are, once again, suffering through another Friday the 13th!
Triskaidekaphobia is a term that means fear of the number 13, so anyone suffering from this doesn't care if it's Friday or any other day, they tend to have a rough time on days like this.
Others just don't like the number 13 at all. Due to their concerns over the number 13, hotels like the Sherry-Netherland and the Essex House in New York City don't even have a 13th floor. Heck, even the Trump Tower only uses its 13th floor as a mezzanine level.
But Why Is 13 Even Worse When It Falls On A Friday?
But that doesn't explain why there's significant concern when the 13th day of a month happens to fall on a Friday.
Again, referring to history.com, that fear most likely established its roots in the Bible as well.
According to biblical tradition, 13 guests attended the Last Supper, held on Maundy Thursday, including Jesus and his 12 apostles (one of whom, Judas, betrayed him). The next day, of course, was Good Friday, the day of Jesus’ crucifixion. Just as Jesus was crucified on a Friday, Friday was also said to be the day Eve gave Adam the fateful apple from the Tree of Knowledge, as well as the day Cain killed his brother, Abel.
While Most Would Agree With That, There Are Other Suggestions For Its Origin
However, timeanddate.com suggests that the roots of this fear happened a lot more recently. The suggest that "the day has been associated with misfortune since 1307 when on a Friday the 13th, the French king gave the orders to arrest hundreds of Knights Templar in France."
And yet, deseret.com has another explanation of how this fear took hold in Norse mythology, when "the Norse gods getting together for a dinner. There were 12 guests. The Norse god Loki came as the 13th guest. Loki caused the god of darkness to shoot the god of gladness with a poisonous arrow. The god of gladness died, and the earth was covered in darkness."
Regardless of its real origin, the fear of Friday the 13th is real. So, if today is one of those days that you'd just rather call in sick and cover yourself in bubble wrap while you crash on the couch, it's okay, you certainly won't be alone.
There is good news. We won't have another Friday the 13th until October and it'll be the last one this year.