The story of Friday the 13th. The history of the fateful date. The actions of superstitious people
Friday the 13th is considered a bad day in many cultures. This is especially pronounced in the English and Portuguese-speaking countries, as well as Germany and Poland. A similar superstition exists in some other cultures (and in some, on the contrary, this combination promises good luck and success, in the Jewish tradition the number 13 is considered lucky, it is a symbol of God.).
According to legend, on this day, all ghouls, witches and other evil spirits arrange a holiday. It turns out to be especially scary on a full moon. Whirlwinds of negative energy overwhelm the human world, and a lot of problems fall on ordinary people.
Ooh ... Are you scared? I don’t 🙂 And not at all because it’s superstition 🙂
As practice shows, any superstition hides a completely real experience... And in connection with the combination of Friday the 13th, many interesting questions arise.
For instance: Why do some consider this combination happy, while others - terrible? Or another question: why is this combination known in all countries of the world? Aren't you curious?
So what happened in history on this day? Friday the 13th?
And, meanwhile, it was on this day that a key event in the history of mankind took place, which split humanity into two camps: those for whom Friday the 13th is a happy day and those who still do not understand what is behind all this 🙂 What is remarkable exactly in this case: everyone knows about this fact, everyone has heard about Friday the 13th, but no one associates one with the other.
There are several versions of why Friday the 13th is considered black. It is said that it was on Friday the 13th that Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. According to other sources, on Friday the 13th Cain killed Abel.
In reality, everything, as always, is different than in reality. But a brief excursion into Judeo-biblical history is needed.
It is 1250 BC.
The Jewish people have been in Egypt for 430 years. Hard slave labor, direct genocide by the Egyptians little by little destroy the heirs of the faith, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But the more they exhaust it, this people, the more it multiplies, and the more it grows ...
And the Egyptians did their best, you can believe it. The Jewish people groaned and groaned under the strong hand of Pharaoh.
This situation lasted until the time when the Lord sent His leader, Moses, to His people, so that he would lead the people of faith out of Egyptian slavery.
The story of Moses is described in the second book of the Bible, Exodus, in chapters 2 and 3. I will not describe in detail how Moses was born into a Jewish family, how he was brought up in the house of Pharaoh, how he defended his people, killing an Egyptian, which is why he was forced to flee from Egypt to the Midian region. How, while grazing the flock of his father-in-law Jethro (the priest of Midian), he ended up on the mountain of God Horeb, and saw there an unburning bush of thorns, in which the fire of God was burning, from which the Lord called Moses to fulfill the mission of saving the people of Israel. You can read about all this, as well as about the punishments with which the Lord punished the Egyptians for the bitterness, in chapters 4-10 of the book "Exodus". I will only touch upon the event that became the reason for the celebration of the Old Testament Passover ...
"And the Lord said to Moses: I will bring one more execution to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians; after that he will release you from here. When he will let go - with haste he will drive you out of here ... " And Moses said (to Pharaoh): "Thus says the Lord: at midnight I will pass through the middle of Egypt, and every firstborn (born first, eldest among the children of the family) in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, to the firstborn of the slave girl who is with the millstones, and all the firstborn of cattle ".
And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron (the elder brother of Moses, the high priest) in the land of Egypt, saying: "This month (Nisan) may be the beginning of months for you ... Tell the whole community of Israelites: on the tenth day of this month, let each one take for themselves one lamb by family, one lamb per family ... You must have a lamb without blemish, male sex, one year old; take it from the sheep and from the goats. And let it be kept with you until the fourteenth day of this month ( up to 14 Nissan): then let the whole assembly of the Society of Israel kill him in the evening. And let them take from the blood it and anoint it on both doorposts and on the crossbar of the doors in the houses where they will eat it. Let them eat his meat this very night, baked on the fire; with unleavened bread (unleavened bread, matzo - bread made from unleavened dough. Symbol of purity and speed of exodus from the slavery of sin. There was no time to ferment the dough) and with bitter herbs (in memory of the bitterness of slavery) let them eat it ...
So eat it: let your loins be girded, your shoes on your feet, your staffs in your hands, and eat it with haste. this is the Lord's Passover. But this very night I will go through the land of Egypt, and I will smite every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from man to cattle, and I will execute judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord! You will have blood as a sign on the houses where you are, and I will see the blood, and I will pass you by who believed in the coming coming of the Messiah), and there will be no pernicious plague between you when I smite the land of Egypt.
And may this day be remembered for you, and celebrate on this feast to the Lord, in all your generations; celebrate it as an everlasting institution ..."(Exodus, chapters 11-12).
By order of the Lord, in the year when Easter (14 Nissan) coincided with Saturday, the celebration should have begun a day earlier, on Friday.
It so happened that in that year, when the ministry of Jesus Christ came to an end, Great Easter (14 Nissan) just fell on Saturday ("But since it was Friday, then the Jews, so as not to leave bodies on the cross on Saturday, - for that sabbath was a great day, - they asked Pilate to break their legs and remove them "(John 19:31).)
Pushing myself into the minibus this morning, I heard a conversation between two young men: “Hey, today is Friday, the 13th. The day when all the mermaids, kikimors and witches get together and have a sabbath, ”one said. “Don't confuse Friday, the 13th from March 8,” another joked ...
So, 2012, January, Friday, 13th ...
Among the many signs and superstitions invented by mankind in the entire history of existence, this day has become the most widespread throughout the world. It is known to almost everyone.
Some especially superstitious people on Friday, the 13th, lock themselves at home all day, do not answer phone calls, do not look out the window or open the door for anyone, eagerly awaiting the moment when this day is over.
Where did this superstition come from?
The combination of Friday and the 13th, which brings fear to many people, originates in ancient times. If you believe the oldest beliefs, then on this day 12 witches always flocked to the Sabbath, ghouls and other evil spirits gathered, and in the midst of the fun, when the full moon rises, Satan himself appeared thirteenth.
In Christian culture, it is believed that it was on Friday, the 13th, that Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. On this sinister Friday, Cain mercilessly killed his brother Abel. The crucifixion of Christ happened on Friday. The thirteenth apostle at the Last Supper was Judas.
On Friday, April 13, 1307, a large number of members of a very rich and powerful organization at that time, the Order of the Knights Templar, were caught and arrested. They were thrown into prison, and after a short time they were burned on the hot fires of the Holy Inquisition as heretics.
One of the loudest shipwrecks of the 20th century is associated with Friday, the 13th, which shook the imagination of many Americans. On Friday, December 13, 1907, one of the largest ships at that time - the seven-mast schooner Thomas Laurson built in 1902 - crashed on the reefs.
The number “13” is often called the devil's dozen. Rumor has it that if 13 people gather at one table, then one of them will die within a year. At one time, there was even a profession of the "fourteenth guest" who was invited to the event in order to avoid this number. In the opera houses of Italy, there are no seats with the 13th number, and in almost all ships, after the 12th cabin, there is the 14th one. By the way, the car with Princess Diana crashed into the thirteenth post of the Parisian tunnel.
The clergy urge those who are afraid of Friday the 13th to put aside superstition. They assure that no combination of numbers - random or natural - can ever determine human life and should not influence human actions. According to them, all days for an Orthodox Christian should be the same.
Today is Friday, 13th. This date is considered to be very mystical and filled with various signs. It is assumed that it is on this day that people should be most careful, as they can be haunted by a variety of setbacks and misfortunes.
By the way, there are such superstitious people who try not to leave the house on Friday, which falls on the 13th. Experts in the "" section of the "Market Leader" magazine for business people deem it necessary to note, with reference to the Vesti newspaper, that psychiatrists even have a special diagnosis for such people - paraskevedecatriaphobia. This phobia is marching from triskaidekaphobia, that is, the fear of the number 13.
It should be recalled that even the ancient Romans saw some mysticism in the number 13 and considered it a harbinger of death, bad weather and other misfortunes. By the way, theologians believe that Eve ate the forbidden fruit on the 13th, and Cain killed Abel on Friday the 13th. Moreover, theologians also suggest that Christ was crucified on the 13th, and Judas, who betrayed him, was the 13th apostle.
The history of the Knights Templar is one of the most popular explanations for the mystical attitude towards Friday the 13th. The fact is that the French king Philip IV the Handsome, 1307, gave the order to arrest the members of the order, including all of its supreme leadership. As a result of the ensuing trial on charges of heresy and blasphemy of its members, the order was disbanded, and many arrested during the Templars were tortured and later executed, including by burning. This story It is widely known for its novel The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, although he was far from the first to expound it in connection with the special attitude of some people on Friday the 13th.
There is also a belief that it was on Friday the 13th that the Sabbath of 12 witches took place, which was also attended by various evil spirits, and in the midst of the fun, when the full rises, Satan himself appeared on the thirteenth.
By the way, in the minds of the British, the superstition regarding Friday the 13th was strengthened only in the 18th century. Then the locals decided to prove that this situation is completely absurd. Especially for this, a ship was built, which was named "Friday". Its construction began on Friday the 13th. It was also launched on Friday the 13th, and in front of the general public, again on Friday the 13th, the ship went out to sea. However, since then, this ship has never been met again, since it soon disappeared without a trace, and together with all the crew members. Thus, the British did not succeed in dispelling the myth about the mysticism of this date.
According to the data of many opinion polls, every fifth person living in Europe is afraid of the number 13. By the way, even such hardened and cynical people as surgeons are very wary of this number. On this day, some doctors do not prescribe surgeries, and already appointed surgeries are postponed to any other day. Doctors are convinced that the risk of failure of the operation, carried out on Friday the 13th, doubles. For example, British surgeons are canceling 50% of operations scheduled for Friday the 13th.
And experts in the field of cybernetics are convinced that it is Friday the 13th that is the most dangerous day, since it threatens with massive cyber attacks. At the dawn of the computer era, many virus program creators established a mechanism for triggering the malicious properties of a virus on that very day.
Moreover, according to human legends, it is generally not recommended to do any serious business on Friday the 13th. What can we say about making deals, signing contracts, starting new projects, and, of course, getting married. And according to folk beliefs, in order for this "black" day to go well, you should go to church.
By the way, towards the end of the 20th century, the term "Friday the 13th" became even more popularized thanks to a series of films of the same name released on the big screens, which tells about a serial killer who committed his bloody crimes on that very day. At the same time, the protagonist wore a hockey mask on his face, which gave his image even more mysticism and horror. In total, 12 films from this series have already been shot to date. And 13, the film studio is going to release it on wide screens in 2017, promising that a chilling horror will run down the backs of everyone who decides to watch it.
At the same time, there are many people in the world who treat Friday the 13th quite favorably. Some of them are trying to give birth to children on this day, while others are waiting for a long enough time in order to get married on Friday, the 13th. And still others even try to somehow play a trick on their comrades, who begin to shake with fear as soon as they hear this ominous combination of date and day of the week.
Friday the 13th in many countries of the world it is considered an unlucky day when various big and small troubles occur. On this day, especially superstitious people generally try not to go outside again, not to start new business and not to meet unknown people, so as not to become a victim of evil forces ..
Baker's dozen
12 is a dozen and 13 is a damn dozen, why? This number has long been considered negative in European culture (although, for example, the Mayan number 13 is lucky). There are many reasons for disliking the number 13, most of them relate to the field of mythology or religion. For example, 13 people were present at the Last Supper of Jesus Christ, and the last of them - Judas - eventually betrayed the Savior. The Scandinavians have a legend that initially 12 gods sat at the heavenly table, but the 13th came - Loki - he made a quarrel, after which numerous misfortunes began.
Then the cause-and-effect relationships were mixed, and now it is already difficult to say, for example, whether 13 is considered unlucky, because 13 witches gathered for the Sabbath, or so many of them gathered just because the number is demonic. The same applies to the gallows, to which, according to tradition, 13 steps lead, and to 13 slags - the turns of the rope on which the condemned is hung.
Fear of the number 13
The superstitious fear of the number 13 even has the hard-to-pronounce scientific name "triskaidekaphobia." It is so common that in many European countries avoidance of the number 13 is massive. For example, in some buildings there is no 13th floor, and immediately after the 12th there is the 14th or 12A. In the opera houses of Italy, there are sometimes no seats with this number, and in almost all ships, after the 12th cabin, the 14th one immediately goes. Also, the 13th row is sometimes absent on airplanes.
Previously, there was a superstition, connected precisely with the Last Supper, that if 13 people gathered at the table, the last of those who came would soon die. To avoid such an unfortunate coincidence of circumstances, a special "fourteenth guest" was even invited to celebrations and official meetings. And in the USA, for example, due to the superstition of many pilots, there is no F-13 fighter (the YF-12 was immediately followed by the F-14). The 13th number is also not used for cars participating in auto racing.
Friday is an unlucky day, and Friday the 13th is even more so
It is believed that it was on Friday that Jesus Christ was crucified, so this day is unlucky. When these two loneliness, Friday and the number 13, met to create some super unlucky days of the year, it's hard to say. Perhaps the main legend about this day is associated with the Order of the Knights Templar. This explanation is popular among esotericists and adherents of alternative history.
On Friday, October 13, 1307, the French king Philip IV ordered the arrest of all members of the order, up to the supreme leaders. A protracted process began, as a result of which the order was disbanded, and many Templars arrested in France were tortured and later executed.
Here is what the French esotericist and occultist Robert Ambelain writes about this: “The day was not chosen by chance. The king chose Friday as the day of the crucifixion of Christ. He chose the 13th day of the month - a hint of unlucky number... 13 was considered a bad number by Homer (Iliad, V) and Cicero (Pro Cecina). In the Hebrew Kabbalah there were 13 Spirits of Evil, and the 13th in the Scriptures mentioned Judas, who betrayed Christ. "
By the way, on Friday the 13th, terrible events, calamities and catastrophes did take place in different years, the last of which was the terrorist attacks in Paris on November 13, 2015, which claimed the lives of about 150 people. However, on other days there were no less great misfortunes, so it is unfair to blame everything on the day of the week that coincided with the "devil" number.
Signs of Friday the 13th
You cannot start traveling, as the road will be full of unpleasant surprises.
It is better not to get behind the wheel and not to go on the road at all, there is a great danger of an accident.
You shouldn't have surgery on this day.
It is believed that a child born on such a day will have a difficult fate.
If you bury someone on Friday the 13th, you will soon have to bury someone else.
Do not plant anything in the garden that day - there will be no harvest.
Do not cut your hair - evil forces can steal it and damage it.
Don't take all the superstitions around Friday the 13th to heart, because attitudes towards negativity in and of themselves can turn into something bad.
Friday, which falls on the 13th day of the month, is considered a "bad" day in many cultures. This superstition dates back to the Middle Ages and is associated with the curse of the Templars.
The Templars, or Poor Knights of Christ and the Temple of Solomon, are an order founded in 1119 by a small group of knights. Its mission was to protect pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land - Jerusalem.
In the XII-XIII centuries, the order was engaged in usury and was very rich, he owned extensive land holdings both in the states created by the crusaders on the territory of Palestine and Syria, and in Europe.
In 1307, on the 13th of Friday, the French monarch Philip IV decided to improve his financial situation at the expense of the Templars and ordered the arrest of members of the order on charges of heresy. The knights were tortured and killed. According to legend, the master of the order cursed those gathered for the execution.
Let us emphasize once again that the fears associated with this day have no scientific evidence and are nothing more than superstitions.
Duplication of myths
In 1980, an American horror film called Friday the 13th was released about a maniac murderer wearing a hockey mask. The picture had more than 10 sequels and adaptations, the last of which was released in 2009.
Computer hackers also popularized the Friday 13 superstition. They have timed the spread of viruses to coincide with this date. For example, the Israeli Virus was launched on May 13, 1988, Friday.
Why are people afraid of the number 13?
In Christian culture, the number 13 is considered unlucky. Most researchers associate this with the fact that during the Last Supper Judas sat at the thirteenth table. As you know, this apostle hanged himself shortly after the execution of Christ. For this reason, in the 19th century, the superstition spread in Europe that if 13 people sit down at the table, then one of them will certainly die within a year after the meal. There was even a profession of "fourteenth guest" who was invited to a meeting to avoid the unlucky number.
How is this number treated in different countries?
In Great Britain there is a belief that it is impossible to go out to sea on Friday 13th, while in Spain and Portugal this day is considered to be a good day for sailing trips.
Americans are wary of the 13. In a rare cinema, you can find seating at number 13, 13th floor, 13th room.
The British, albeit to a lesser extent, also support the residents of the United States in their unfounded fear of this date. The British try not to prescribe surgery for this day and do not go to the doctor.
The French avoid the company of 13 people, and if that is the number of people gathered, then they put extra appliances on the table for the 14th guest.
Painful fear of the number 13 is called triskaidekaphobia. A specific fear of Friday, the 13th, is called parascavedicatriaphobia or friggatriskaidekaphobia.
