Flake-out Friday the 13th! * EEEP!!!! *

The fear of Friday the 13th is called friggatriskaidekaphobia.

But what makes Friday the 13th so bad?

In numerology, 12 is considered a complete number (12 months, 12 hours on the clock, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 Gods on Mount Olympus), while 13 is considered unlucky because it ruins the completeness of 12. Based on the Last Supper, some believe having 13 people at dinner is unlucky and will result in the death of one of the diners.

But what about Friday? Don’t we always say TGIF?

Well, some believe Jesus was crucified on a Friday. It was also popular belief to avoid starting projects or journeys on a Friday (thanks to The Canterbury Tales).

Other countries may not agree about the Friday thing, though. In Spanish-speaking countries and Greece, Tuesday the 13th is the culprit. Mars tends to rule Tuesday, Constantinople to the Ottomans fell on a Tuesday, and in Greek, the word for Tuesday is “Third Day,” and don’t we know, bad things come in threes.

What’s the big deal?

Well, Friday the 13th costs a lot of money!

Seriously.

People are so afraid of the day, that they call in to work, take the day off, and just avoid all activity whatsoever.

Go figure.

(Thanks to Wikipedia for all the fun facts!)

Is it safe to come out now?