Do you know why Friday 17th is scary? 11/16/2017

It’s said that luck is blind, while bad luck looks at us clearly! If it happens that it is Friday and 17, like tomorrow... yikes! yikes!

But, are you superstitious? Do you really believe that in this fateful day, unpleasant events can occur in a way they wouldn’t any other day?

This popular belief has its origins in the ancient Latin, Catholic and Greek traditions... Let’s make a short trip through the feared Friday 17!

We must specify that Friday 17 “terrorizes” just the people in Italy

But let’s separate Friday form the number 17, considering just Friday: in Christian tradition, Holy Friday is remembered as the day Jesus died

On the other hand the number 17, in the western world, has many facets of bad luck...

In the Ancient Greece, according to Pythagoras, 17 was considered negative precisely for whom was between ages 16 and 18, which was considered perfect

The Old Testament states that the Great Flood started the 17 of the second month of the year 600 of Noah

During the battle of Teutoburg, which took place on the year 9 AD, the Roman legions that were destroyed were identified with the numbers 17, 18 and 19 and that is why these numbers are considered unfortunate

Another reason is found in Roman numbers; 17 is written XVII, an anagram of VIXI which in Latin means “have lived” ergo “not alive” and is often written on the graves

In the ‘Smorfia Napoletana’, the book where the meaning of numbers and dreams is consulted, 17 means disgrace

In Cabala, Jewish doctrine, it’s a positive number: it’s complicated to explain… but I’ll try. The numerical addition of the Hebrew letters teth (Corresponding to 9) + waw (6) + beth (2) adds 17 and these letters read in order give the word ‘tov’ which means good, (Mazel tov means good luck)

And over the world, are people as superstitious as Italians?

In England, the unfortunate day by excellence is always Friday, but the number changes to 13

In Scandinavian mythology, there were 12 demigods, but Loki arrived, the 13th, which behaved in a very cruel manner towards humanity

The thirteenth dinner guest during the Last Super was Judas, who later betrayed Jesus

Phillip II, king of Macedonia and father to Alexander The Great, placed a statue close to the 12 deities of the Olympus, therefore, it was the 13th in order. Philip was later murdered

In the astrology during the time of the Assyrians and Babylonians, 12 was considered perfect, while the following, precisely 13, was considered of bad luck

Let’s go to Spain and Latin America, where Tuesday 13th is considered bad luck because Tuesday is related to Mars, God of War

And you, how do you avoid the bad luck? Do you invoke the Goddess of fortune or look for four leaved clovers in the garden? Do you rub between your hands red Neapolitan horns or wait for a ladybug to rest on your shoulder?

But overall, do you believe in this?