Paraskevidekatriaphobia

Say what?

Paraskevidekatriaphobia. If you thought twice about leaving the house this morning, if you changed your plans and decided not to go to the salon or get that manicure, not to go out with that hot guy you’ve been fantasizing about for weeks, then that’s what you suffer from: paraskevidekatriaphobia.  It’s one of two official names for the fear of Friday the 13^th (Paraskevi and dekatreis being the Greek words for Friday and thirteen, attached to good ole phobia meaning fear), the other being friggatriskaidekaphobia (Frigga being the Norse goddess after whom Friday is named and triskaidekaphobia for fear of the number thirteen).

Who knew?

Well, my Master of Useless Information husband did (never play Trivial Pursuit against him!), but for me, discovering this took pulling together a Friday the 13^th-oriented blog for the UK release of Shattered Dreams! Actually, my research led me to all sorts of fascinating tidbits, such as the discovery that nothing especially horrible ever happened on Friday the 13^th. It seems all our trepidation stems from a simple arithmetic equation:

Bad Friday + Unlucky 13 = Terrible Friday the 13^th

Yes, historically speaking Friday is an unlucky day (beginning with Eve and the Apple one fateful afternoon) and 13 is an unlucky number (how many were gathered for the Last Supper….which just happened to be on a Friday?)

So there you have it. The truth about Friday the 13^th.

But while doing my research, I ran across a whole bunch of other superstitions, some I was familiar with (rabbits foot brings good luck, an apple a day keeps the doctor away), some that were totally new to me (clothes worn inside out bring good luck). I had so much fun with them, I thought I’d share a more comprehensive list here!

▪                Friday the thirteenth is an unlucky day

▪                A rabbit's foot brings good luck

▪                An apple a day keeps the doctor away

▪                To find a four-leaf clover is to find good luck

▪                If you walk under a ladder, you will have bad luck

▪                If a black cat crosses your path you will have bad luck

▪                To break a mirror will bring you seven years bad luck

▪                To open an umbrella in the house is to bring bad luck

▪                To find a horseshoe brings good luck

▪                Step on a crack, break your mother's back

▪                You can break a bad luck spell by turning seven times in a clockwise circle

▪                Garlic protects from evil spirits and vampires

▪                Our fate is written in the stars

▪                At the end of a rainbow is a pot of gold

▪                Clothes worn inside out will bring good luck

▪                Wearing your birthstone will bring you good luck

▪                If you blow out all of the candles on your birthday cake with the first breath you will get whatever you wish for

▪                To have a wish come true using a wishbone, two people make a wish, then take hold of each end of the bone and pull it until it separates. The person with the longer end gets his or her wish

▪                An itchy palm means money will come your way

▪                A beginner will always have good luck: beginner's luck

▪                A cat has nine lives

▪                Eating fish makes you smart

▪                Toads cause warts

▪                A cricket in the house brings good luck

▪                Crossing your fingers helps to avoid bad luck and helps a wish come true

▪                It is bad luck to sing at the table

▪                It is bad luck to sleep on a table

▪                After receiving a container of food, the container should never be returned empty

▪                A lock of hair from a baby's first haircut should be kept for good luck

▪                A bird that comes in your window brings bad luck

▪                To refuse a kiss under mistletoe causes bad luck

▪                Goldfish in the pond bring good luck

▪                Goldfish in the house bring bad luck

▪                For good luck, wear new clothes on Easter

▪                An acorn at the window can keep lightning out of the house

▪                If the bottom of your feet itch, you will make a trip

▪                When a dog howls, death is near

▪                It is bad luck to chase someone with a broom

▪                A sailor wearing an earring cannot drown

▪                To find a penny heads up, brings good luck

▪                A drowned woman floats face up, a drowned man floats face down

▪                A person cannot drown before going under three times

▪                To drop a fork means a woman will visit

▪                To drop a knife means a man will visit

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