Latest news with #Friggatriskaidekaphobia
Euronews
a day ago
- General
- Euronews
Rare display for UK AIDS Memorial Quilt amid Trump HIV funding cuts
Each stitched panel honours someone who died from AIDS-related illness, forming part of a vast global project that began in the 1980s at the height of the epidemic. Created by loved ones, the quilt is both a tribute and a protest. The project was started by American activist Cleve Jones, who began sewing panels after losing dozens of friends and witnessing government inaction. Speaking at the Tate, Jones condemned recent cuts to global HIV funding by the Trump administration, calling them 'unconscionable.' Campaigners warn the loss of U.S. aid will cost hundreds of thousands of lives, especially in vulnerable regions. Do you suffer from Friggatriskaidekaphobia, the fear of Friday 13th? You're not alone. It's one of the most pervasive superstitions in Western culture, alongside crossing a black cat or walking under a ladder. It's estimated between 17 and 21 million people in the United States are actively affected by Friggatriskaidekaphobia – named after Frigga, the Norse goddess after whom 'Friday' is named in English – or 'triskaidekaphobia', the fear of the number 13. Some people refuse to fly, or close a business deal on this date, while others refuse to leave the house. Some buildings skip the 13th floor, going from 12 straight to 14, there are dinner guests who refuse to eat at a table with 13 guests, and there are airlines which do not have a row 13. But why is the number and date considered so unlucky? The origins of Friggatriskaidekaphobia (or paraskevidekatriaphobia in some quarters), as with most superstitions, are tough to pinpoint. The concept of the cursed number can go back to Norse mythology. According to Viking myth, 12 gods were having a banquet in Valhalla. A 13th, uninvited guest known as Loki – the god of mischief – arrived, and deceived Hodr, the blind god of darkness, into shooting Balder the Beautiful, the god of joy and gladness, with a mistletoe-tipped arrow. The superstition then spread south throughout Europe, becoming established by the start of the Christian era. Then came the story of another dinner party: the Last Supper, which was attended by Jesus Christ and his disciples. The 13th guest was none other than Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus, leading to his crucifixion on Good Friday. Going back even further in Biblical tradition, Friday is said to be the day that Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, as well as the day Cain murdered his brother, Abel. Beyond myth and religion, for many the number 13 suffers simply because it comes after the number 12. Numerologists consider 12 a 'complete number': there are 12 months in the year; 12 hours of the clock; and 12 signs of the Zodiac; 12 labors of Hercules; 12 gods of Olympus… The number 13 is irregular by comparison. As for Friday, many believe that it has been an unlucky day since the 14th-century publication of Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales": 'And on a Friday fell all this mischance.' Fast forward a few millennia and popular culture has not helped in any way: Thomas William Lawson's 1907 novel "Friday, the Thirteenth" tells the story of a stockbroker who creates chaos on Wall Street; the German bombing of Buckingham Palace took place on Friday 13 September 1940; the ill-fated Apollo 13 moon mission; the Friday 13th films, with hockey-masked killer Jason Voorhees slashing to his heart's content… All have contributed to giving the date a bad rep. But some countries would disagree. In Hispanic and Greek culture, Tuesday 13th is traditionally considered an unlucky day. In Greece, Tuesday is the day associated with Ares the god of war, and Greek name for 'Tuesday' is 'Triti', or 'third', heightening the superstition, since bad luck supposedly comes in groups of three. Add the fact that Constantinople fell both times on a Tuesday - in 1204 during the Fourth Crusade, and in 1453 to the Ottomans - and you've got yourself a cursed day. In Italy, the number 13 is actually considered lucky, and it's Friday 17th that has the bad reputation. The connection between the number 17 and bad luck is goes back to the Roman numerals for 17, XVII. When rearranged, it creates the word VIXI, which translates as 'I have lived', the past tense which implies death. Consequently, Alitalia, the country's airline, does not feature row 17 on its planes. Both Fridays and the number 13 haven't always been unlucky. Organised religions and misogyny silenced paganism and the celebration of women throughout the centuries, thereby leading to the narrative of Friday 13th as an unlucky date. In pagan times, Friday was believed to have a unique association with the divine feminine – which loops us back to Friggatriskaidekaphobia. As any discerning mythology expert or Marvel fan will tell you, Frigga was the Queen of Asgard and a powerful sky goddess, one who was associated with love and motherhood and who could prophesize fertility. Therefore, Friday was considered a lucky day for marriage by Norse and Teutonic people. Regarding the number 13, it was a harbinger of good fortune for pre-Christian and goddess-worshipping cultures because of its link to the number of lunar and menstrual cycles that occur in a calendar year. And then comes US national treasure Taylor Swift, who ended 2024 on a high after her record-smashing global tour brought in $2.2 billion in its nearly two-year run, making it the highest-grossing tour of all time for a second year in a row. Doesn't sound very unlucky, does it? Be we digress... Swift considers 13 her lucky number and, early in her career, often performed with the number written on her hand. "I was born on the 13th. I turned 13 on Friday 13th. My first album went gold in 13 weeks. My first No. 1 one song had a 13-second intro," she told MTV in 2009. "Every time I've won an award I've been seated in either the 13th seat, the 13th row, the 13th section or row M, which is the 13th letter. Basically, whenever a 13 comes up in my life, it's a good thing." Maybe the legacy of Friday 13th can be rewritten… Just follow TayTay's example and laugh in the face of danger. After all, it beats trying to pronounce Friggatriskaidekaphobia. Good luck with that.
The Citizen
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
Friday the 13th: Do you suffer Friggatriskaidekaphobia?
The date has inspired novels and horror films, and is widely regarded as a day associated with bad luck. Is the eerie music from Friday the 13th movie playing on a loop in your head? Perhaps you are quivering in your shoes with fear that Jason Voorhees — the iconic masked killer from Friday the 13th — is waiting around the corner for you. Friggatriskaidekaphobia The date, which has inspired novels and horror movies, is believed to be one filled with bad luck, much like breaking a mirror, opening an umbrella inside, or walking under a ladder. If you fear Friday the 13th, chances are you might have Friggatriskaidekaphobia. The phobia can be broken up as follows. Frigg: Norse goddess for whom Friday is named Triskadekai: Latin for 13 Phobia: Fear ALSO READ: 'The Enfield Poltergeist' reignites conversations of possession, ghosts and ghouls Why the fear? There is no specific reason as to why this day is considered unlucky. In Western culture, the number 13 is often associated with bad luck. On the other hand, the number 12 is historically connected to good omens and completeness. Its successor, 13, has for long been known a sign of bad luck. National Geographic According to National Geographic Kids, the exact origins of when Friday the 13th became thought of as unlucky are unknown; however, it 'likely comes from the Christian religion.' For example, in the Bible, Judas—a person who is said to have betrayed Jesus—was the 13th guest at the Last Supper. Also in the Bible, many unfortunate things happened on Fridays. So it made sense that people who read the Bible got nervous around Friday the 13th. Apollo 13 One of the more factual events, which did not happen on Friday the 13th, was the Apollo 13 spacecraft, but it bore the number 13. Apollo 13 is famously described as a 'successful failure'. It was the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (Nasa) third moon-landing mission, but the astronauts never made it to the lunar surface. Blasting off from the Kennedy Space Center (formerly Cape Kennedy) on 11 April 1970, the mission experienced a dramatic series of events, an oxygen tank explosion almost 56 hours into the flight forced the crew to abandon all thoughts of reaching the moon. Failed mission The spacecraft was damaged, but the crew was able to seek cramped shelter in the lunar module for the trip back to Earth, before returning to the command module for an uncomfortable splashdown. The Apollo 13 astronauts were commander James Lovell, lunar module pilot Fred Haise, and command module pilot John 'Jack' Swigert. So, while you fear the day, remember, after every Friday the 13th comes a Saturday the 14th, which can only mean one thing: the weekend is nearly upon us. ALSO READ: WATCH: 'Resident Evil Requiem' release date revealed: A new era of survival horror begins
