Friday, April 13, 2012

Friday Whimsy




Are you a Triskaidekaphobe? Translated--Afraid of Friday the 13th? 
Tris (greek for three) deka (greek for 10) phobe (an individual affected by a certain fear) effectivey a triskaidekaphobe fears the number thirteen, or situation that involves anything in a 13 sequence... When a group of 13 objects is divided into two, three, four or six equal groups, there is always one leftover object.
It is believed that Loki in the Norse pantheon was the 13th god. This was later Christianised into saying that Satan was the 13th angel.  (source)
You're not alone if you feel anxiety on Friday the 13th. More than 80 percent of high-rises lack a 13th floor. Many airports skip the 13th gate. Hospitals and hotels regularly have no room number 13.

On streets in Florence, Italy, the house between number 12 and 14 is addressed as 12 and a half. In France socialites known as thequatorziens (fourteeners) once made themselves available as 14th guests to keep a dinner party from an unlucky fate.


Hope your Friday 13th is a good one!

Gem
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2 comments:

William Kendall said...

There's a town here in Ontario that every Friday the 13th - outside of winter, of course- thousands of bikers descend on the place.

Gem Sivad said...

I'd like to be there some time and see that. I love the sound/sight of motorcycles rumbling in a caravan of bikes.