Friday the 13th

Coming up...TGIF!, a day that has not always represented the 'end' of the work week. Modern society takes "weekends" for granted. Jobs back in the day began before sunrise and did not end until sunset with Sunday being the only 'day off' so to speak. Even on Sunday, what we might regard as 'leisure time' was sparse since most of the day was spent in church. Celebration, however, does not end with just the fact it is Friday and the weekend is ahead. Perhaps for some this may not be a Friday looked forward to in anticipation at all. Why? Because...

May 13, 2016 is...

Friday the 13th

Throughout most of recorded history, it has been common knowledge that the number 13 is associated with bad luck. There is even a name for people who live in fear of the number 13: They suffer from Triskaidekaphobia. Today, the 13th day of the month falls on a Friday with that incident bringing a whole new dimension to the number 13. But why all the hoopla? No one seems to be too concerned with Monday the 13th, Tuesday the 13th, etc., but Friday the 13th is a different story.  

It is interesting to note that on June 13, 2014, as luck would have it, full moon falls on Friday the 13th! Adding a full moon to the picture sent us off into the 3rd dimension! This occurred one other time in the 21st century on October 13, 2000, and it won't happen again until August 13, 2049.

Are you superstitious? If so, then, Friday the 13th is a day you do not look forward to at all. It is a day approached with apprehension and fear! To you, Friday the 13th, is about the most unlucky day of days, a day when bad things can and do happen. It is on this day, whatever you do, you do NOT walk under a ladder NOR let a black cat cross your path. OH, NO!

It is still TGIF any way you look at it! So, it is hard to fathom in today's world that Friday was ever viewed as an unlucky day of the week. Historically, in days gone by, why Friday the 13th is known as a day of bad luck goes beyond just the number 13. Friday was not a welcomed day at all. Of course interestingly enough, there are numerous optimists who embrace Friday the 13th and the number 13. They shrug off the superstition. 

For many who never gave it a thought, the movie industry has capitalized on the superstition. Jason in "Friday, the 13th" (1980 film) made believers out of nonbelievers in the fearfulness of this day.

 

When does the 13th fall on a Friday? The 13th of the month does not always fall on a Friday. Not every month is host to a Friday marked by the number 13.  This occurrence happens one to three times a year...

• 2013: September, December
• 2014: June
• 2015: February, March, November 
• 2016: May
• 2017: January, October 

Are ERs busier on Friday the 13th? The whole idea of Friday the 13th makes one wonder if ERs are busier on this day than any other time of the year. Like anything else, that is totally debatable.

Manu Malhotra, the medical director of Henry Ford Health System's emergency room department, said many people believe Friday the 13th tends to keep hospital staff busier than normal, but that's just not the case.

"The truth of the matter is, it independently doesn't make a difference," he said. "It tends to be busier on a Monday than Friday the 13th."

Source: USA Today

Here's an idea:
Go buy lottery tickets, just be sure each has the number 13 on it.