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Definition:
c) fear of Friday the 13th
German translation:
paraskavedekatriaphobia = Angst vor Freitag der 13.
(triskaidekaphobia = Angst vor der Zahl Dreizehn)
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Pronunciation Tip:
Relax! Take a deep breathe and speak this monster as 5 separate words: para skave deka tria phobia... Easy!
Sample text:
Paraskevidekatriaphobia - Fear of Friday the 13th
I just finished reading the abstract of a study published in the British Medical Journal in 1993 entitled "Is Friday the 13th Bad for Your Health?".
With the aim of mapping "the relation between health, behaviour, and superstition surrounding Friday 13th in the United Kingdom," its authors compared the ratio of traffic volume to the number of automobile accidents on two different days, Friday the 6th and Friday the 13th, over a period of years.
Incredibly, they found that in the region sampled, while consistently fewer people chose to drive their cars on Friday the 13th, the number of hospital admissions due to vehicular accidents was significantly higher than on "normal" Fridays.
"Friday 13th is unlucky for some. The risk of hospital admission as a result of a transport accident may be increased by as much as 52 percent. Staying at home is recommended."
David Emery
Did you know?
paraskevidekatriaphobia
noun
- a morbid, irrational fear of Friday the 13th
A Friday occurring on the 13th day of any month is considered to be a day of bad luck in English, German and Portuguese-speaking cultures around the globe.
Similar superstitions exist in some other traditions. In Greece and Spain, for example, Tuesday the 13th takes the same role.
The word paraskavedekatriaphobia is derived from the Greek words meaning Friday, thirteen, and phobia respectively.
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HISTORY
Before the 19th century, though the number 13 was considered unlucky, and Friday was considered unlucky, there was no link between them. The first documented mention of a "Friday the 13th" is generally listed as occurring in the early 1900s.
However, documentation aside, many popular stories exist about the origin of the concept:
* The Last Supper, with stories that Judas was the thirteenth guest, and that the Crucifixion of Jesus occurred Friday.
* That the biblical Eve offered the fruit to Adam on a Friday, and that the slaying of Abel happened on a Friday (though the Bible does not identify the days of the week when these events occurred).
* That it started on Friday, October 13, 1307, the date that many Knights Templar were simultaneously arrested in France, by agents of King Philip IV
People suffering from fear of the number 13 are called triskaidekaphobes. Here are some famous ones:
- Napoleon
- Herbert Hoover
- Mark Twain
- Richard Wagner
- Franklin Roosevelt
(source: Wikipedia)
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NOTE
Every year has at least one (and at most three) Friday the 13th. 2007 has two, the next being on July 13th.
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Impress your friends today, say something like:
"If I were a paraskevidekatriaphobic, I wouldn't have come to work today."
Wishing you a nice weekend,... never-the-less ! :)
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