POLL: Do You Believe in Friday the 13th?
It's a bad day for those who suffer from paraskevidekatriaphobia.
For some people, waking up this morning meant one thing — just a few more hours until the weekend.
But for those who believe in the power of bad fortune, and avoid the number 13 like the plague, it's a day to exercise caution.
Between dodging black cats, handling mirrors with extra care, keeping umbrellas out of sight when indoors and avoiding cracks in the floor, there is a lot to keep in mind when prepping for Friday the 13th.
According to this story in USA Today, Friday the 13th will pop up three times in 2012 — making this year a nightmare for those who suffer from paraskevidekatriaphobia, the fear of Friday the 13th. Information on Wikipedia suggests that more than 17 million people in the U.S. are affected by the phobia in some way. The page also references conflicting research when it comes to the rate of accidents on Friday the 13th — some studies show there is a smaller chance of traffic collisions, while others draw the opposite conclusion.
So, are you on edge today? Are you dreading the next two instances of the end of the week colliding with the unlucky number? Or do you dismiss the whole thing as a silly superstition?
Lisa Buchman
1:16 pm on Friday, January 13, 2012
My husband and my mother-in-law were both born on Friday the 13th and it doesn't seem to have hurt their chances in life...
Lizzie Hedrick
1:21 pm on Friday, January 13, 2012
Happy birthday to them!
Ashley Tarr
1:29 pm on Friday, January 13, 2012
Just found a cool story on Friday the 13th from a Michigan Patch: http://plymouth-mi.patch.com/articles/friday-the-13th-facts-behind-the-superstition
Jerry Eimbinder
4:55 pm on Friday, January 13, 2012
The number thirteen has represented bad luck throughout history. The Vikings believed that if 13 people sat down together to eat dinner on any day of the week all would die within a year.
Dina Sciortino
8:36 pm on Friday, January 13, 2012
That's a great article, thanks Ashely
Robert Solari
10:14 pm on Friday, January 13, 2012
13 is a good luck number to Italians..
Frank Cimino
6:59 am on Saturday, January 14, 2012
Robert: why is 13 a good luck number to Italians?
John Q. Public
11:55 pm on Friday, January 13, 2012
Thanks Ashley that was an interesting story. I've worked in lots of buildings in NYC and none have had a 13th floor. Neither the Roosevelt nor the Peninsula Hotels either.
Dan Seidel
7:32 am on Saturday, January 14, 2012
a/k/a : friggatriskaidekaphobia. yeah.......... rolls off the tongue a bit easier - smile!
gail burlakoff
9:03 am on Saturday, January 14, 2012
It's always been a lucky day for me!
Robert Solari
8:18 am on Sunday, January 15, 2012
Frank, Because in Italy they don't believe in Lucky 7s. They believe in lucky 13s. In China they believe in lucky 8s. Although it wasn't to lucky for them on Friday the 13th. One of there largest ships almost sunk.
Jerry Eimbinder
10:23 am on Sunday, January 15, 2012
Robert, isn't seven a significant number for Italian Americans? Mario Batali says The Feast of the Seven Fishes has been a Christmas Eve tradition in his family dating back to his grandmother's arrival from Italy with most of the recipes coming from Campania and the Amalfi coast. Chef Anna Maria Santorelli at Anna Maria's Restaurant in Larchmont serves The Feast of the Seven Fishes every Christmas Eve.