4 minute read
Tomorrow is Friday the thirteenth and to superstitious people that is a day of dread. Specifically for these people, a twenty-three-letter word has been coined: paraskevidekatriaphobia, or the fear of Friday the thirteenth. But perhaps for you, that day of all days is the perfect time to try your luck at VIAGE?
A fortune teller, a magician and live music will be on hand to create just the right atmosphere in the casino. To bring good fortune, of course. After all, for the longest time Friday the thirteenth wasn’t known as a day of bad luck.
From the number 13...
For centuries, the number thirteen has had a bad name in many cultures and countries. Some claim its reputation for misfortune has its origins in a Norwegian saga. Twelve gods are dining in Asgard, the realm of the gods, when Loki, the god of chaos and deception, arrives as an uninvited thirteenth guest. During a game he tricks Balder’s blind brother Hodr into throwing a spear that was made of mistletoe, the only thing on earth that could harm Balder. Balder (the god of joy) dies instantly, plunging both Asgard and Midgard (the realm of men) into mourning. Conversely, for the Celts it was a lucky number. Their moon calendar consisted of thirteen months. The Christians introduced the solar calendar and went to great lengths to make people renounce the lunar calendar. Sowing fear of the number thirteen obviously came in handy in that regard. In a biblical sense, the number thirteen is a negative number. During the Last Supper, where Jesus is betrayed by Judas to ultimately be crucified, thirteen people are seated at the table.
... to Friday the thirteenth
What’s more, the Last Supper took place on a Friday. Since then, Friday has been considered the worst day of the week. In 1307 AD, superstitious people see this theory confirmed. On Friday 13 October of that year, king Philip IV of France imprisons all Knights Templar in Europe. Many are sentenced to prison, thrown in dungeons or burned at the stake. The French king wanted to free himself of his debts by seizing the assets of the order, which consisted of knights and monks. In spite of this, Friday the thirteenth was still not generally regarded as a day of bad luck. That came much later.
A day of misfortune
It was in the US that people started taking a genuine interest in the theory of Friday the 13th as a day of bad luck. In 2004, American journalist Nathaniel Lachenmeyer authored the book ‘13’, which traced the emergence of Friday the 13th as an unlucky date back to 1881. On that day, an American officer decided to invite thirteen people for a thirteen-course dinner every month in order to prove that the number is not unlucky at all. The first meeting of The Thirteen Club took place on a Friday. In 1907 the day started gaining notoriety thanks to the book ‘Friday the 13th’ by a very superstitious stockbroker called Thomas W. Lawson. In his book someone tries to trigger a Wall Street crash. The book was adapted into a film in 1916. The following year in Europe, director Richard Oswald released ‘Friday the 13th’, a film in which every Friday the 13th, a member of the Eulenstein family dies.
Are you a believer?
All this has proven fertile ground for the superstition to spread across the globe and persist until this very day. And sometimes the superstition surrounding Friday the thirteenth appears to come to fruition. On Friday 13 April 1970, the mission of Apollo 13, which was launched two days earlier at 13.13 hrs, almost ended in tragedy. The mission was launched from platform 39 and it was the thirteenth mission from that platform. And 3 x 13 is 39. A treasure trove for the superstitious. Still, all that superstition also has a positive effect. People are often more cautious on Friday the thirteenth, resulting in fewer accidents, for one thing. It’s a fact there is no proof that the combination of the number 13 and Friday causes more bad luck than usual.
In other words, ditch that superstition and try your luck tomorrow at VIAGE!
