Paraskevidekatriaphobia

Today is Friday the 13th. (All months whose first day falls on a Sunday will contain a Friday the 13.) Are you superstitious? I’m starting to be, as my hard drive is making a very strange noise. If you don’t hear from me again any time soon, you’ll know what happened. LOL I personally believe it is bad luck to walk under a black cat - LOL Busy, busy day scheduled, so I am just doing some reprints and links today - sorry - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Paraskevidekatriaphobia. That’s the proper term for the fear of Friday the 13th. OK, all together now, pah-ras-ke-vey-de-kah-tri-ah-fo-bi-ya. It is such a well-known phobia that there is even to be a Paraskavedekatriaphobia Clinic as part of the Change That’s Right Now Phobia Clinic. The clinic’s own literature on the Internet claims, "Our practitioners will teach you to regain control of your emotions and conquer your Paraskavedekatriaphobia. Working with us, you'll rapidly train your unconscious mind to connect different, positive feelings to the stimuli that triggers the phobia." The much, much simpler word, "triskaidekaphobia" refers only to a fear of the number 13. Ever wonder why hotels and other high-rise buildings go straight from the 12th floor to the 14th floor? It’s because the number 13 is a widely accepted unlucky one. But why the link to Friday? There are multiple legends and stories. The most common is that the Last Supper before Jesus Christ’s death, which, including Jesus, had 13 people at the table; and then Jesus was crucified on a Friday, which has come to be known Good Friday. An ancient Viking legend tells a story of 12 Norse gods preparing to partake in a feast in the Norse "heaven" of Valhalla. A 13th god, Loki, obviously a bit displeased at not being included, broke into the feast and killed fellow deity Balder. In Spanish-speaking cultures, when the 13th falls on a Tuesday, that is considered the unlucky tandem. Legend says it bodes ill to begin a journey, or most notably, a marriage, on a Tuesday the 13th. Whatever the rationale, the impact is actually measurable. The Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, N.C., says each Friday the 13th sees an approximate $800-$900 million of business revenue lost around the nation. People who won’t drive, won’t go into work, won’t go out in public, or won’t take any other risks account for those losses. According to the Paraskavedekatriaphobia Clinic, the cause of the Fear of Friday the 13th likely spawns from someone’s experiences, or even witnessing someone else’s experiences, with a traumatic event which happens to take place or be linked with a Friday the 13th. Someone’s unconscious mind then attaches emotions and safeguards to that date in order to feel safe. For those who aren’t themselves because of paraskavedekatriaphobia, after today, 2006 will have only one more Friday the 13th, in October. Source - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I found a pretty amusing page full of strange superstitions - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Even the rich, famous and infamous are not immune to the power of 13. Adolf Hitler, Victor Hugo and Stephen King are all reputed to have had a fear of 13. Friday the 13th Superstitions * IF a woman has a birthday on Friday 13 she will marry and have a child within the year. * IT is unlucky to be married on the 13th. * IF a funeral procession passes a person on Friday 13 he or she will be condemned to death. * DON'T go out at night on Friday 13 or you'll have convulsions that night. * DON'T sit 13 people at a table on Friday 13, one will become seriously ill. * DON'T cut your hair on Friday 13 or someone in your family will die. * DON'T wear black on Friday 13 or you'll soon wear it again in mourning. * IF a child is born on Friday 13 he will be unlucky all his life. * A CHILD born on Friday 13 will have a short life. * A CHILD born on Friday 13 must carry a rabbit's foot from an animal killed at midnight by a cross-eyed farmer. Otherwise the child will bring bad luck to the family. Superstitious Behavior * THROW salt over your shoulder if you spill it. * CROSSED knives at a table mean a quarrel. * BREAKING a mirror brings seven years' bad luck. * DON'T put new shoes on a table. * A WILD bird in the house means a death in the family. * A PAINTING which falls off the wall for no apparent reason means a death in the family. * BAD luck comes in threes. * YOU should never give anyone a new purse without putting a coin in it first - and they'll never be poor. * DON'T put an umbrella up indoors. * A BLACK cat crossing your path is good luck or bad luck - depending on where you live. * MAGPIES can be considered unlucky - the rhyme goes "one for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl, four for a boy, five for silver, six for gold, seven for a secret never to be told". * TOUCH your collar if you see an ambulance. * SAY "rabbits, rabbits, rabbits" for luck when you first get up on the morning of the first of each month. Source