Why are Americans so sensitive to 13?
They believe that in order to effectively organize the concept of "time" and serve mankind well, people created calendars. The year is divided into 12 stages, named "months". All days are divided into stages of seven, named "weeks". Many Americans believe that if a day happens to be a Friday and also happens to be the 13th, something quite unlucky is bound to happen on that day.
Of course, this should be said to have no scientific basis, but believers always believe it and do not argue with others. Nor will they elevate what they believe to a logical or illogical level. Many people are like this and naturally fear such a day, there is nothing to argue about. Superstitions generally have deep and compelling reasons. If you study this reason carefully, you can explain why so many people believe what they believe and think that what they believe is not superstitious. One of the reasons is due to Christian tradition. In fact, the fear of Friday the 13th is the sum of two fears: first the fear of the 13th, and then the fear of Friday. Both of these fears are deeply rooted in Western culture, especially Christian culture. “13” is a very important number for Christians. Because it happens to be the total attendance when Jesus Christ had the "Last Supper" with his disciples. Jesus Christ had twelve disciples at one time, including himself, which is exactly the number "13". As many Chinese people are familiar with, one of the disciples was named Judas, and he was the thirteenth person to join the meal. It was he who betrayed Jesus Christ, bringing shame to all mankind, and bringing shame to the whole Jewish people because of Judas. During World War II, Hitler went even further and simply wanted to eradicate the Jews from the face of the earth.
As for "Friday", in the traditional Christian sense, it is because Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross on Friday, which makes people afraid. In addition, some theologians say that the original Adam and Eve swallowed the forbidden fruit on Friday; the first great flood in human history also started on Friday. In the past, many Christians would never start a new project on a Friday or go on a long trip on a Friday. Because they are afraid that if things start on Friday, there will be bad luck from the beginning.
In this regard, people at sea are particularly concerned. No one is likely to go out to sea on Friday. When I was in school, a foreign teacher told an interesting story about this. It is said that the British Navy specially named a ship "H.M.S. Friday" in the 1800s with only one purpose: to completely break the superstition in people's hearts. The steward specially selected a team of men to go to sea on Friday, and even specially selected a man named "James Friday" to serve as the captain. One Friday morning, the sun was shining brightly, and the ship named "Friday" began its maiden voyage... But, haha, it’s really unfortunate. Since then, there has been no trace of this ship returning. In fact, there is a movie called "Apollo 13" that has many similarities with this story.
However, there are other theories. For example, some Western historical scholars say that the reason why Christians fear Friday is related to the Catholic Church's comprehensive suppression of paganism and the oppression of women. On the calendar used by the Romans, Friday was dedicated to Venus, the goddess of love. In other words, Friday is associated with "love" and "sex". This extremely feminine god posed a serious threat to the male-dominated Christianity in the Middle Ages. Therefore, the Christian Church ordered the word "Friday" to be invalid, because the root meaning of "Friday" is the meaning of the goddess Venus, which means "love" and "sex". In addition, "Friday" often participates in witchcraft activities, and the number of participants must be 12 people. Adding "Friday" just forms the unlucky number 13.
What scares Christians the most is that the pagan calendar uses the waxing and waning of the moon as the recording unit. The so-called lunar calendar divides the year into 13 months. This calendar coincides with women’s menstrual periods, which means that 13 is associated with women.
Of course, the most common theory is still related to the story of Jesus Christ's "Last Supper". In other words, in the eyes of Americans, never sit with 12 other people at the same time, because your participation will produce the unlucky number 13.
For most Americans, if Friday and the 13th really meet, then some important death row prisoner will go to the execution ground. In Britain, Friday is always the traditional day for public hangings. It is said that there are 13 steps to the gallows. Americans have been taught since childhood that Friday falls on the 13th, which is definitely an unlucky day. And such coincidences will always happen every year. Suppose that on this day, you happen to crash into a car, or lose your wallet, or even spill a glass of water or coffee and soil your pants, then this terrible experience will stay with you for the rest of your life. . Of course, bad things happen every day, but when Americans choose to do big things, such as getting married, finding a job, or finally completing a house decoration or major renovation project, they still do like the Chinese, Pick a day that at least isn't Friday the 13th. After all, Americans are human beings too, and like the Chinese, they are very superstitious. Although the focus of superstition is different.