Do you suffer from paraskevidekatriaphobia?

What is paraskevidekatriaphobia? Let’s cut out the long part and look at “phobia” at the end of the word. It is a fear. For some unexplainable reasons, some people have that morbid fear of Friday the 13th. I suffer from it, not because I have the fear, but my co-workers who suffers from it, would check every new year all dates that fall under Friday the 13th, and would be determined not to work on those days. And the Stress Management Department would respect that. So, it is I , who turns out to be scheduled on every Friday the 13th.

The term paraskevidekatriaphobia was from the Greek word paraskevi (Friday) and dekatria (thirteenth) and phobia (fear).

No one is is quite certain why people associate Friday the 13th with bad luck. There is an ancient Egyptian belief that the 13th stage of life is death. Christ was crucified on a Friday. I worked in a hospital, and surprisingly, more hospital admissions occur on Friday the 13th, than any other regular Fridays, although fewer people would chose to travel on that particular Friday. Whatever the roots of this irrational fear, seems to represent a very real concern to so many people.

People would refuse to leave home on this particular day. Some would indulge in ritualistic behavior like hanging shoes outside the window to repel evil, or walking around the room 13 times. Some would set up an altar on Friday the 13th, and perform ritual to the Dark Goddess for watching over the cycles of Death and Birth and the power she gives us to experience life in its many forms, leaves this altar up to the remainder of the season until November 3, the day after all Soul’s Day.