1. Friday the 13th


Right from the fear that grips our mind when a black cat crosses our path to uttering 'God Bless' when we hear someone sneezing, superstitious beliefs have become an integral part of our lives. We just can't seem to carry on without following them religiously, even if it means sacrificing on some of the basic responsibilities of our life. When we talk about superstitious beliefs, the beliefs associated with Friday the 13th deserve a special mention. Friday the 13th is one of the most widely followed bad luck superstitions in the world. Such is the fear associated with this day, that people just can't seem to stick to their daily routine. The data compiled by Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute (North Carolina) suggests that around 17 to 21 million Americans are affected by the fear associated with this day of the year. The financial losses incurred on this day amount to as much as USD $800 million every year. On this allegedly inauspicious day, we decided to compile a list of some prominent Friday the 13th superstitions, but before we move on to them let's have a look at the history of Friday the 13th.

Friday the 13th History

A look at the history of Friday the 13th reveals that this date bears the brunt of bad luck associated with number 13 (allegedly the unluckiest number) and Friday (allegedly the unluckiest day). Number 13 has always been considered an unlucky number mainly due to its association with various occurrences of the past. While some associate it with the instance of Norse mythology, wherein the god of joy and gladness - Balter was killed in a deceitful manner by Loki - the god of discord and mischief who was coincidentally the 13th guest, while others associate it with the Last Supper wherein the 13th guest was Judas, who betrayed Jesus to his enemies for 30 pieces of silver.

As far as the association of bad luck with Friday is concerned, it can be traced back to the fact that Jesus was crucified on this unfaithful day. Some citations in history also suggest that Cain killed Able on this very day of the week. The fear of Friday the 13th is known as friggatriskaidekaphobia, which is derived by combining the words frigga, meaning Friday, and triskaidekaphobia, meaning the phobia of number 13. Over a period of time, the belief that Friday the 13th is an unlucky day has just become more and more prominent, thus engulfing the entire society in a state of paralysis attributed to unknown fear.

Friday the 13th Superstitions List

An 'accident' is a broad concept which includes anything ranging from a safety pin pricking your finger to meeting with a car accident, and this very fact plays a crucial role when it comes to labeling of Friday the 13th as unlucky day. Basically, the slightest bad thing that happens to you on Friday the 13th is bound to stay with you forever, even if it is just about forgetting your wallet at home. That being said given below is a list of Friday the 13th superstitions, some of which may take you by surprise.
If you were born on Friday the 13th your entire life will be marked by bad luck.
You should never cut your hair on Friday the 13th, as it results in a death in the family.
If you change your bed on Friday, you will see bad dreams throughout the night.
If you were to pass a funeral procession on Friday the 13th, you will die the very next day.
If you were to leave the calendar on Friday the 13th, you will be killed by a witch the very next day.
Cutting you nails on Friday the 13th is again a bad omen which can bring you some serious bad luck.
This is a very bad day for new beginning, and thus starting a new business on this day will only call for a disaster.
Similarly, starting out on a trip on Friday is considered to bring misfortune for you.
According to a deep rooted superstition, Friday the 13th is a very bad day to consult the astrologer.
Ships that set sail on Friday 13th are much more likely to end in a disaster.
That was a brief account pertaining to the history and superstitions on Friday the 13th. Many people have tried to eliminate these Friday the 13th superstitions from society by purposely resorting to important activities on this day. That, however, has done a very little good to this day which is more popular as the unluckiest day of the year. While a large number of sources allege that being born on Friday the 13th brings you bad luck for the entire life, there also exist some sources which state that you are a lucky person if you are born on this day. At the end of the day, these are just superstitions which are engraved in your mind. If at all we want to get rid of these Friday the 13th superstitions from society, each of us has to get the faith and beliefs associated with it, out of our minds. One of the most interesting, but lesser known facts about Friday the 13th is that it can occur at least once, and at the most thrice, in a single year as per the Gregorian calendar.
By Abhijit Naik
Published: 8/13/2010

Friday the 13th has been quite lucky for me through the years. Several times, on those days, I've found money, won things in raffles and had other unexpected nice things happen.

One other biggie superstition(since The Omen came out) are the numbers 666. Once in the sixth month, on the sixth day in a year that ended in six, I was supposed to die but recovered in much better shape than the doctor's best case scenario.

In Christmas' past, I've been deathly ill several times. On my birthday, I've almost gotten killed in a wreck.

Call me Mr. Backwards!!!

Mama taught me NOT to bring the Christmas tree into the New Year. something about dragging the old into the new.

i'm NOT superstitious about it, but it's a FANTASTIC reason to get the dang thing down and put away in a timely manner. ;)

...no superstitions or snake oil faith...just keepin' it real always.

Would guess that americans who celebrate russian christmas might leave the tree up until that day in january.

Might be time to go back to that revolving silver tree with the far out revolving color wheel.



And kennybaby this isn't a joke thread.
And were you one of Jerry's kids as a lad.

quote:

Originally posted by Rupertsurvives:
Would guess that americans who celebrate russian christmas might leave the tree up until that day in january.

Might be time to go back to that revolving silver tree with the far out revolving color wheel.

When we decide to have a tree, I can always go down to the basement and get my silver tree from around 1962. Still have the box with the TG&Y sticker on it(TG&Y was an Oklahoma five and dime chain that was our WalMart before Sam moved out of Arkansas). Still have the color wheel too.

What is the deal with eating black-eyed peas on New Years? Me dear old mum used to insist on me eating those damnable little orbs of tastelessness! Still don't like'em unless they're amended with lots of onion and hot sauce.

Happy New Year, Enid!!!

LOL I like em.

Standing on this is supposed to give you good luck.

http://www.trekearth.com/galle...ogaland/photo220.htm

i make Hoppin John. AWESOMENESS

quote:

1 1/2 cups dry black-eyed peas
1 pound ham hocks
1 onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups water
1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice


Directions

In a large pan place the peas, ham hock, onion, red pepper, salt and pepper. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 1 1/2 hours.
Remove ham hock and cut meat into pieces. Return meat to pot. Stir in the rice, cover and cook until rice is tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

I used our left over Christmas ham (including the bone) and some fresh turkey stock (instead of just water) I also added one can of diced tomatoes and one small can of diced green peppers. and i made the rice separate. made cornbread, too. yum!

quote:

Originally posted by Rupertsurvives:
Standing on this is supposed to give you good luck.

http://www.trekearth.com/galle...ogaland/photo220.htm

just wow

January Effect and other Superstititions

http://www.forbes.com/sites/th...other-superstitions/

A Black Cat Crossing your Path

One of the American superstitions that doesn’t seem to make quite as much sense is the one that claims that letting a black cat cross your path is bad luck. This superstition seems to have less to do with actual safety than with the associations of black cats with sorcery and witchcraft. To understand why this should be, you have to understand the history of domestication. Unlike dogs that have been domesticated for 50,000 years, cats have had a more ambivalent history with humans. Although the Egyptians worshipped cats, most Europeans did not start to associate with cats until the Middle Ages when cities began to grow. This more recent association and the nature of cat behavior itself have meant that the cat’s reputation has remained shady in the eyes of many people.

Sure hope none of you were unlucky enough to be born on Friday the Thirteen. If you were Rood Ruck! .......
And egads!


The Thirteenth Friday the Thirteenth is one of our most common American superstitions. It’s unclear how this got started but it has been around at least two hundred years. Some believe that the reason for this comes from the Bible. During the Last Supper, Jesus ate with all twelve of his apostles at the table and this was considered unlucky. In addition, because there are twelve months in the years and twelve hours in the day, the thirteenth hour is considered somehow outside of normal and therefore dangerous. The fear of the number thirteen has also spread to the numbering of floors as well, and thus we don’t find the thirteenth floor in most buildings.

According to the Quran, Adam was created by God on a Friday. But later, Eve had enticed Adam to consume the forbidden fruit of worldly knowledge, thus corrupting him on a Friday. Biblical references depict that as a result of this, God punished Eve and future generations to come with the painful cycle of menstruation, as she had seduced Adam. Thus, the 13 annual menstrual cycles was rendered a repentance for sin. It is also believed that after living for 930 years, Adam had died on a Friday as well.