Things That Make You Go Huh?

Paraskevidekatriaphobia = Fear of Friday the 13th.

Why is Friday the 13th considered unlucky? Well, no one really knows for sure. It could just be that many cultures consider the number 13 to be unlucky. And many cultures believe that Fridays are unlucky. Put ‘em together and you’ve got a double whammy.

Then there’s the theory put forth by The Da Vinci Code, that superstitions about Friday the 13th came about not as the result of a convergence, but a catastrophe, a single historical event that happened nearly 700 years ago: the decimation of the Knights Templar. Personally, I’m not buying. But it’s an interesting theory.

For more musings on this topic, check out this article at Urban Legends on About.com.