Friday 13th – Superstitions?

I am not, nor have I ever been, a believer in superstitions. There are so many superstitions I don’t know how anyone could keep up with them all. Do you have Friday 13th superstitions?

Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day in Western Superstition. There is no written evidence before the 19th Century and only became widespread in the 20th Century. The fear of Friday the 13th is known as paraskevidekatriaphobia.

History

It’s not known for certain how the superstition surrounding this day arose, but both Friday and the number 13 are connected with the crucifixion of Christ (Friday being the day the crucifixion took place, commemorated weekly in Catholic practice, and 13 being the number of people present at the Last supper). According to Phillips Stevens, Jr., associate professor of anthropology at the University at Buffalo (SUNY), “There were 13 people at the table (at the Last Supper) and the 13th was Judas. The Last Supper was on a Thursday, and the next day was Friday, the day of crucifixion. When ’13’ and Friday come together, it is a double whammy.”

(sourced from wikipedia)

Here are the months which have a Friday the 13th:

 

Superstitions

There are many superstitions floating around. How many can you name?

25 Most Popular Superstitions Around The World

There are good and bad superstitions. Lets take a look at a few of each.

Good

Horseshoe: Some believe hanging a horseshoe with the open end up will bring good luck and keep nightmares away. A horse shoe has seven holes, which is considered to be a lucky number. It is made of iron which lends to the belief it can supposedly ward off evil spirits that might haunt you in your dreams.

 

Ringing of Bells: Bells are rung at weddings and other special occasions. It is believed the bells toll scares away evil spirits.

 

 

Bad

Black Cats: A black cat crossing your path is supposed mean bad luck for you. This superstition is from the middles ages when it was believed that single elderly women who associated themselves with many cats where really witches who could become cats. So a black cat crossing your path could be a witch.

 

Broken Mirror: It is said if you break a mirror you will endure seven years of bad luck. It can be traced back to the Romans, who were first created glass mirrors.  The Romans, Greek, Chinese, African and Indian cultures all believed a mirror had the power to confiscate part of the user’s soul. If the reflected image became distorted in any way (by breaking of the mirror), this could mean a corruption of the user’s soul.

 

 

Getting Rid of Bad Luck

In many cultures around the world, salt is considered good luck.

How to use salt to get rid of bad luck:

• Throw a pinch of salt over your left shoulder.
• Bath in salt water by adding two teaspoons to hot bath water.
• Sprinkle sea salt in the corners of each room and under each window sill.

Broken Mirror bad luck:

• You can either take all of the pieces of the mirror and grind them down to dust and scatter it in the wind or take a single piece of the mirror (big enough to reflect but not big or sharp enough to be dangerous to yourself or anything else) and wait until the next full moon.
• Depending on how close you are to the full moon you’ll still get bad luck for a small while but if you use the mirror to reflect the full moon and gaze into it, it nullifies the bad luck. You can then bury the piece of mirror or keep it.

Burn incense to get rid of bad luck:

• Burn scents like sandalwood or jasmine. If you are burning more than one stick, make sure to use an odd number rather than an even number.
• If you are experiencing bad luck in your personal life, burn the incense at home. Carry the incense from one room to the next, letting the scented smoke fill all four corners of your home.
• If you are experiencing bad luck at work, burn the incense in your office.

Those are just a few ways said to reverse bad luck. If you believe in such things. Personally, I believe you make your own luck.