'Friggatriskaidekaphoria'
By Brian Ritchie
Introduction.
History of Friday 13th
According to folklorists, there is no written evidence for a "Friday the 13th" superstition before the 19th century.
The earliest known documented reference in English occurs in ' 1869 biography of Gaiccamo Rossini who died on a Friday 13th.
Rossini was surrounded to the last by admiring friends; and if it is true that, like so many Italians, he regarded Fridays as an unlucky day and thirteen as an unlucky number, it is remarkable that one Friday 13th of November he died.
Several theories have been proposed about the origin of the Friday the 13th superstition.
One theory states that it is a modern amalgamation of two older superstitions: that is an unlucky number and that is an unlucky day.
In, the number twelve is considered the number of completeness, as reflected in the twelve months of the year, twelve hours of the clock, twelve apostles, twelve tribes of Israel, etc., whereas the number thirteen was considered irregular, transgressing this completeness.
There is also a superstition, thought by some to derive from the last supper that having thirteen people seated at a table will result in the death of one of the diners.
Friday has been considered an unlucky day at least since the 14th century's, and many other professions have regarded Friday as an unlucky day to undertake journeys, begin new projects or deploy releases in production.
Friday 13th has been associated with stock market crashes and other disasters since the 1800s.
The fear of Friday the 13th has been called Frigg triskaidekaphobia ( being the name of the Norse goddess for whom "Friday" is named and meaning fear of the number thirteen).
Social impact.
According to the Stress Management Centre and Phobia Institute, an estimated 17 to 21 million people in the area affected by a fear of this day making it the most feared day and date in history.
Some people are so paralysed by fear that they avoid their normal routines in doing business, taking flights or even getting out of bed.
"It's been estimated that 800 or $900 million is lost in business on this day."
Despite this, representatives for both and say that their airlines do not suffer from any noticeable drop in travel on those Fridays.
Rate of accidents
The (CVS) on June 12, 2008, stated, "Fewer accidents and reports of fire and theft occur when the 13th of the month falls on a Friday than on other Fridays because people are preventatively more careful or just stay home. Statistically speaking, driving is slightly safer on Friday the 13th, at least in the last two years, Dutch insurers received reports of an average 7,800 traffic accidents each Friday; but the average figure when the 13th fell on a Friday was just 7,500."
Friggatriskaidekaphoria, however, is not Fear of Friday the thirteenth quite the opposite in fact. It is used as an excuse to rejoice and embrace the date with certain people who commune together for mutual respect and admiration.
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FRIDAY 13th - Adult-themed adventure
FantasyAdult story of a strange week in the life of a young woman. She is thrust into a situation manipulated by her superiors. Contains Adult themes but there is a good story despite this.
