Who's afraid of Friday the 13th?

Friday the 13th has long been considered unlucky, a day of doom for various reasons, most steeped in folklore and embellished by age-old mythsu00a0

Friday the 13th conjures up images of dread and doom. The day occurs when the thirteenth day of a month falls on a Friday, which superstition always says is bad luck. A month's 13th day will fall on a Friday if the month starts on a Sunday.

Phobias are an irrational fear of something and in today's times we hear of xenophobia and even Islamophobia.
Other common fears like claustrophobia are used in everyday lingo. Your tongue might go into a hard-to-unravel twist if you try to pronounce a fear of Friday the 13th, calledu00a0 friggatriskaidekaphobia, oru00a0 paraskevidekatriaphobia a word derived from the concatenation of the words Paraskev ufffd meaning Friday, and dekatre ufffds meaning thirteen attached to phob ufffda meaning fear.


HORROR SHOW: Jason Voorhees puts the chills into the audience

Greek origins
If that sounds like Greek, you're right. It is Greek. The absolute put your tongue in a tangle term was derived in 1911 and first appeared in a mainstream source in 1953.

For many, the number 13 itself is considered unlucky.u00a0 Housie regulars will know that the person calling out the numbers will routinely shout: unlucky number 13 as players will look down at their Housie charts to see if they have the unlucky double figure on their charts.

In numerology, the number twelve is considered the number of completeness, as reflected in the twelve months of the year, the Zodiac's twelve signs, the twelve hours of the clock, twelve tribes of Israel, twelve Apostles of Jesus, twelve Gods of Olympus, and numerous other examples. The no 13 though was considered irregular, a deviation from this completeness. Internet searches throw up results that show a superstitious exists with its genesis in the famous Last Supper. That having thirteen people seated at a table might result in the death of one of the diners.

Yet another belief goes that the fear of Friday the 13th is said to have originated in 1307 when King Philip of France secretly ordered the arrest of all Knights Templar on 13 October - a Friday. The Knights Templar was a monastic military order founded in Jerusalem in 1118, whose mission was to protect Christian pilgrims during the Crusades. Over the next two centuries, the Knights Templar became extraordinarily powerful and wealthy and was a threat to the King.

While India, with its cauldron of different cultures has several days on its calendar considered unlucky or inauspicious, Indians are familiar with Shraadh which is considered 'bad' many professions, especially in the West have regarded Friday the day itself as an unlucky day to begin new projects. It has also been suggested that Friday has been considered an unlucky day because, according to Christian scripture and tradition, Jesus was crucified on a Friday.

Folklore
Some world figures have folklore weaved around them with reference to Friday the 13th, Sir Winston Churchill never travelled on Friday the 13th unless it was essential nor did Napoleon, Mark Twain, Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Sometimes, though, events are deliberately staged on Friday the 13th for effect.

Most aptly and not very surprisingly, the four of the twelve films in the Friday the 13th series, including the recent (reboot of a second film), were released on a Friday the 13th. The sequel to the reboot is planned to be released on Friday September 13, 2013. Ironically, Friday the 13th movie did not prove unlucky for the filmmakers. In fact, it turned out to be a great business idea and grew from film to franchise.

American franchise
Now, Friday the 13th is an American horror franchise that consists of twelve slasher films, a sub-genre of the horror film, a television show, novels, comic books, and tie-in merchandise. The franchise mainly focuses on the fictional character of Jason Voorhees, who drowned at Camp Crystal Lake as a boy due to the negligence of the camp staff. Decades later, the lake is rumoured to be 'cursed' and is the setting for a series of mass murders. Jason is featured in all of the films, either as the killer or the motivation for the killings.

The original film was written by one Victor Miller and was produced and directed by Sean Cunningham.

Neither of the two returned to write nor direct any of the sequels.

What really set off Friday the 13th was the success of a movie called Halloween. It started a chain effect, because its own success led the giant Paramount Pictures to purchase full licensing rights to the Friday the 13th franchise.

At last count, Paramount Pictures seems to have the last laugh all the way to the bank. Like we said, not everybody is scared of Friday the 13th.

Did you know?
Ancient Romans regarded the number 13 as a symbol of death destruction and misfortune. That is why, even today, there are 13 knots in a hangman's noose

Starspeak and spook

Kareena Kapoor
I am not a superstitious person at all, so I don't believe in the Friday 13 superstition. I have no problems if any film of mine releases on that day.

Bipasha Basu
I don't believe in Friday the 13th superstitionu00a0 but neither do I like the sound of it. If the producer decides then it's fine. All Fridays are deadly for the film industry anyways!

Emraan Hashmi
I am a superstitious person. I doubt if I would want any of my movies to release on Friday the 13th. I have heard and read about the day... I would definitely avoid it unless there is no option.

Vivek Oberoi
I don't really believe in Friday the 13th. I believe that faith is above all superstition. Superstition is a sign of weakness and belief is the doorway to true strength!
By Upala KBR

Just like normal for them

By Natasha Coutinho

Aditya Tare
Sportsmen are notoriously superstitious, choosing the right armband, the lucky cricket bat or even that lucky colour on match day are mandatory for some. Yet, Friday the 13th? It holds few terrors for Aditya Tare, new Mumbai Indians' batsman-keeper who says,u00a0 "I've seen the movie, Friday the 13th. It was quite exciting and entertaining, but somehow I don't think Friday the 13th holds any special fears for me." He says he will go about his usual routine of training for the ensuing cricket season today and even travel to the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) indoor stadium at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) for nets. Asked whether he is superstitious, Tare says, "Yes, I follow a few rituals. My right pad is put on before my left one. I also like to step on to the cricket field with my right foot. These rituals put me in a positive frame of mind."

Jia Manek
Television actress Jia Manek who plays the lead role in Saath Nibhana Saathiya on Star Plus says, "I have not seen the movie Friday the 13th and do not believe that the day itself is unlucky. We live in the 21st century and should not believe in any such silly superstitions," opines the actor. "The hectic shooting schedules of the television industry hardly leaves me with any time to follow these superstitions," says Jia.

Sanju Kushwaha
Sanju Kushwaha a fashion-designing student, believes that it is unlucky if her right eye suddenly starts twitching, but Friday the 13th?u00a0u00a0 No, that holds no demons. "It is just like any other day for me," signs off Sanju.