Friday the 13th

 Maybe you suffer from Paraskevidekatriaphobia.
What’s that you say?
Definition: a persistent, irrational fear of Friday the 13th

If you’re superstitious, walking through the streets can feel like navigating a field of landmines. Don’t let a black cat cross your path. Step on a crack and break your mother’s back. And never walk under a ladder! 

We all know about black cats walking in front of us, broken mirrors, and walking under ladders. But when and where did these superstitions originate?

Breaking a mirror brings seven years of bad luck. It so happened that in both Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire that is between 2,000 and 2,700 years ago: reflected images were thought to have mysterious powers. It is likely in one of these times and places that the broken mirror superstition began.

Bad luck and black cats.  It’s said that the story began when a black cat was seen running into a house thought to be inhabited by a witch. During the Middle Ages, black cats became tied in with black magic. Roaming nocturnal black cats were thought to be witches in disguise. Although in some parts of the world, black cats are considered to be omens of good fortune.

The superstition of bad luck following after one has walked under a ladder has its origins in Ancient Egypt. The Egyptians regarded the shape of the triangle as sacred since it was the shape of the pyramids. And as a leaning ladder forms a triangle, walking under one was considered to bring misfortune.

Many people avoid stepping on cracks on pavements/sidewalks. There’s no definitive source of the first instance of this avoidance, but there is evidence that the practice dates to some of the earliest folk beliefs shared by early Europeans and Americans. Cracks in sidewalks, floors and soil, as well as in walls, signalled gaps in the boundaries between the earthly realm and the metaphysical realm. Interact with these chasms, no matter how narrow, and you could bring misfortune to you or your family.

So maybe it is lucky that in 2022 there is only this one Friday th 13th. But beware, next year there are two – January and October. You have been warned!.

Just a thought. We get Friday the 13th a day ahead of many of you. Do we get the pick of the superstitions, the bad luck?

“Don’t be superstitious.
Nothing will happen on Friday the 13th,
that cannot happen on Saturday the 14th.” Anon

JB Friday, May 13th, 2022
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10 thoughts on “Friday the 13th”

  1. I think you have prepared me for my Friday the 13th tomorrow. Of course with Mercury in retrograde as posted by enchanted seashells today, all bets are off!

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  2. Hello cousin, lovely to see you on FB on Friday the 13th here in UK and your interesting post, I’ve been out for a few hours shopping at the garden centre then a little bit of food shopping, back home now and just having a cupper sitting in my garden in the sunshine deciding where to plant my purchases, enjoy the rest of your day Keep Safe sending love 💞 xx

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  3. My most beloved pet who was jealous, seriously attached to me was a beautiful black with a slight warm red tone in the sunlight. She was an only pet for quite sometime and had two litters of kittens before I was literally handed her by my neighbor across the hall in my apartment house. I had taken care of the cat while he was away skiing and when he came home she stood at his door making an unusual meow that sounded like, ” Maw-Maw”. She had no name so I called her time just like the sound she made. She was the Queen of all house pets and lived a very long and wonderful life. The vetenarian said she was at least 20 at her last checkup. She is still with me in my dreams and sometimes I feel her kneading around my feet at night. Her spirit is magical. A blessing, never a curse… except my miniature dachshund who she slapped at least once daily across his nose.

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    1. Thanks, that’s a lovely story. I think all pits stay with us long after they die. My companion was a little Tibetan spaniel. But she didn’t have a long life. She was only about five when she died.

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  4. Could not edit mistakes. “I called her Maw Maw ” just like the sound she made. And perhaps my dachshund saw her as a curse, 😂.

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