When 13 Sit Down To Dine The First To Rise Is The First To Die..

Do you have Friggatriskaidekaphobia Or Paraskevidekatriaphobia?

No they are not some horrible disease, it is the fear of the day Friday the 13th. 

Is there a rational reason to be afraid? For some people, Friday the 13th is a very unlucky day.

The Last Supper

There were 13 attendants at the Last Supper, including Jesus Christ. One of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, had already accepted payment for his betrayal the following day that would lead to Jesus' arrest and his crucifixion on Good Friday. Judas tried to return the silver that he was paid, but ended up hanging himself.

The Thirteen Club

Founded in the 1890's by historian William Harnett Blanch, the London Thirteen Club was created in an attempt to prove the number 13 (as well as other superstitions) were harmless. The club met on the 13th of every month and the guests sat at 13 tables with 13 place settings. To get to the club, they had to follow an undertaker under a ladder, sit at tables decorated with black cats, and spill salt before eating. Members broke mirrors, turned horseshoes upside down and crossed knives. Among the groups members were five U.S. Presidents, including Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt and William McKinley.

The Churches Say That It Is Unclean

In some cultures, the number 13 is a symbol of femininity due to the fact that there is 13 cycles in a year coinciding with the 13 cycles women have. Due to this reason, some religions such as 

Judaism and Christianity have deemed the number 13 as unclean in the past.

The HMS Friday

In the 19th century, the Royal Navy attempted to finally dispel the old superstition among sailors that beginning a voyage on a Friday was certain to bring bad luck. They decided to commission a ship named HMS Friday. Her keel was laid on a Friday, she was launched on a Friday, and she set sail on her maiden voyage on Friday the 13th, under the command of a Captain James Friday. She was never seen or heard from again.

Knights Templar

In the morning on Friday, October 13th, 1307, King Philip IV ordered de Molay and hundreds of other French Templars to be simultaneously arrested. They were then tortured into false confessions of heresy and burned at the stake.