Friggatriskaidekaphobiacs: Why Do So Many People Fear Friday-the-13th?

The combination of sixth day of the week and the number 13 have foreboding reputation worldwide

Friday the 13th is a special day that is tied to numerous myths and superstitions. This phenomenon happens at least once a year. But never more than three times a year, according to various reports.

For people afflicted with a morbid, irrational fear of Friday-the-13th, or friggatriskaidekaphobiacs as they are clinically known as, this 'day of apocalypse' is a difficult one to get through.

For those who fear this day, simply look out for months that start on a Sunday. There will be a Friday the 13th 12 days later.

It is still not known exactly how this fear started. But a lot of theories exist. One such theory suggests it's a simple matter of mathematics: bad luck Friday added in conjunction with the unlucky number 13 equals doubly unlucky.

This phobia is also found to be deeply rooted in ancient world history. There is a biblical reference to the unlucky number 13. Judas was the 13th guest at the Last Supper, informs Nationalgeographic.com. Numerologists consider 12 a "complete" number and exceeding by 1 it simply goes a little beyond completeness and the number becomes restless or squirmy, reports Nationalgeographic.com.

Even if the masses are not scared of the 'fearsome' combo, people don't like to take risks. If reports are to be believed, more than 80 per cent of high-rises lack the 13th floor. Anxiety related to the number 13 is further evidenced by numerous airports that skip the 13th gate, most hospitals and hotels throughout the world have no room number 13 and some even skip the 13th floor altogether.

In fact on streets in Florence, Italy, the house between number 12 and 14 is addressed as 12 and-a-half. In France, socialites known as the quatorziens (fourteeners) once made themselves available as 14th guests to keep a dinner party from an unlucky fate, reveals Nationalgeographic.com.

According to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in North Carolina, about 17-21 million people in the US are affected by the fear of Friday the 13th. "It's been estimated that $800 or $900 million is lost in business on this day because people decide not to fly or do business they would normally do," Donald Dossey, founder of the institute was quoted by Vancouversun.com.

Many triskaidekaphobes, as those who fear the unlucky integer are known, point to the ill-fated mission to the moon, Apollo 13.

One 1993 study, published in the British Medical Journal, found that the traffic accident risk increases by as much as 52 per cent on Friday the 13th, compared to a normal Friday.

Here's a list of other less scientific data that shows some odd findings related to the day, courtesy a report on Vancouversun.com.

- The Uphaar Cinema fire in Delhi, which killed 59 people and injured 103 who were trapped behind locked doors on Friday, June 13, 1997

- The crash of Uruguayan Air Force flight 571 on Friday, October 13, 1972, which led to the immediate deaths of a quarter of the passengers, plus deaths in the days that followed as survivors succumbed to cold, injury and an avalanche that killed eight

But there are ways to ward off bad luck on this day. Have confidence in your own luck and stay positive throughout the day.

LOL...check this out...:)

October 17, 1995

FARRAKHAN: . . There, in the middle of this mall is the Washington Monument, 555 feet high. But if we put a one in front of that 555 feet, we get 1555, the year that our first fathers landed on the shores of Jamestown, Virginia as slaves.

In the background is the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorial, each one of these monuments is 19 feet high.

Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president. Thomas Jefferson, the third president, and 16 and three make 19 again. What is so deep about this number 19 ? Why are we standing on the Capitol steps today? That number 19 — when you have a nine you have a womb that is pregnant. And when you have a one standing by the nine, it means that there’s something secret that has to be unfolded. . . .

. . . the layout of this great city, laid out by a Black man, Benjamin Banneker. This is all placed and based in a secret Masonic ritual. And at the core of the secret of that ritual is the Black man, not far from here is the White House.

And the first president of this land, George Washington, who was a grand master of the Masonic order, laid the foundation, the cornerstone of this capitol building where we stand. George was a slave owner. George was a slave owner. Now, the President spoke today and he wanted to heal the great divide. But I respectfully suggest to the President, you did not dig deep enough at the malady that divides Black and White in order affect a solution to the problem.

And so, today, we have to deal with the root so that perhaps a healing can take place. . . .

. . . And now, I want to say, my brothers — this is a very pregnant moment. Pregnant with the possibility of tremendous change in our status in America and in the world. . . .

. . . I want to take one last look at the word atonement.

The first four letters of the word form the foundation; “a- t-o-n”. . . “a-ton”, “a-ton”. Since this obelisk in front of us is representative of Egypt. In the 18th dynasty, a Pharaoh named Akhenaton, was the first man of this history period to destroy the pantheon of many gods and bring the people to the worship of one god. And that one god was symboled by a sun disk with 19 rays coming out of that sun with hands holding the Egyptian Ankh - the cross of life. A- ton. The name for the one god in ancient Egypt. A- ton, the one god. 19 rays. Look at your scripture.

A woman, remember the nine, means somebody pregnant, with an idea. But, in this case, its a woman pregnant with a male child destined to rule the nations with a rod of iron. God is standing over her womb, and this child will be like the day sun, and he will say “I am the light of the world.” Hands coming out of that sun, come unto me all ye that are heavy laden. I’m gonna give you rest, but I’m gonna give you life, because I am the resurrection and the life and if you believe in me, though you are dead, yet shall you live again.

You’re dead, Black man. But if you believe in the god who created this sun of truth and of light with 19 rays, meaning he’s pregnant with God’s spirit, God’s life, God’s wisdom. Abraham Lincoln’s statue, 19 feet high, 19 feet wide. Jefferson, 19 feet high, 16 (OFF-MIKE) and the third president, 19 . Standing on the steps of the Capitol, in the light of the sun. Offering life to a people who are dead.

Black man, the a-ton represents the one God. In the Koran, Muhammad is called a light giving son. So if you look at the aton, add an “e” to it, and separate the “a” from the next four letters and you get the word a tone.

A tone means sound. And “a”, the first letter of the alphabet and the first letter of the numerical system is one. So “a” equals one. So “a” sound means when you hear the “a” tone, you will hear the right sound. And when you hear the right sound from the one God calling you to divine life, you will respond. So what is the “a” tone? In music, a equals 440 vibrations. How long have we been in America? Four hundred and forty years.

Well, in the 440th year, from the one God, the aton will come the a tone and all of us got to tune up our lives by the sound of the a tone. Because we’ve got to atone for all that we have done wrong. And when you atone, if you take the “t” and couple it with the “a” and hyphenate it, you get at one. So when you atone you become at one. At one with who? The aton or the one God. Because you heard the a tone and you tuned up your life and now you’re ready to make a new beginning.

So when you get at one, you get the next two letters. It is “m” “e”. Me. Who is it that has to atone?

(AUDIENCE): Me.

FARRAKHAN: Who went wrong?

(AUDIENCE): Me.

FARRAKHAN: Who got to fix it?

(AUDIENCE): Me.

FARRAKHAN: Who should we look to?

(AUDIENCE): Me.

FARRAKHAN: Yes! And then if you add, if you add another letter to “me” you get an “n”. What does that say?

(AUDIENCE): Men.

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