Sneeze on Monday, You will escape danger.

Sneeze on Tuesday, A kiss from a stranger.

Sneeze on Wednesday, You will receive a good news letter.

Sneeze on Thursday, You will receive a gift that is better.

Sneeze on Friday, News will cause sorrow.

Sneeze on Saturday, You will travel tomorrow.

Sneeze on Sunday, Ask God to bless you.

Sneeze all week, Your health to keep.

Reference : The Good Spell Book

Scientifically we know that sneezing helps of to get rid of foreign objects like dust, and it is our bodies way of trying to rid itself of germs and irritants. But, there is nothing wrong with believing that sneezing can be a sign of something more.

Superstitions and Old Wives’Tales have been around since time immemorial. Superstitions are seen as beliefs with no logical or sound foundation and Old Wives’Tales, once based in truth, are now considered merely unproven, time-honored beliefs. Read on to find out if some of your beliefs might actually fall under the categories of Superstitions or Old Wives’ Tales. Following a description of each is a list of some of the more popular Superstitions and Old Wives’ Tales.

What Are Superstitions?

Some of the superstitions we hold are just for fun (e.g. an itchy palm means you’ll have luck or you have money coming your way) while others can be so deep-seated that they affect the way a person lives his or her life. For example, the superstition that if a person doesn’t get out of the bed on the same side he or she got in on, they will suffer bad luck, could lead to a compulsive need to always get into and out of bed on the same side. Why tempt fate?

Superstition can be defined as a belief in  supernatural or mystical causes for certain events or occurrences. In other words, certain things happen (good luck or bad luck) because of some uncanny, unexplainable, magical intervention, events or occurrences that could be described as nothing short of miraculous because there was no other way of explaining them. During the “Age of Enlightenment in the 1700s, Christian doctrine scorned belief in miracles, reducing them to superstitions and equating belief in miracles with belief in magic, which was considered sinful. In fact the Catechism of the Catholic Church deems superstition to sinful because it demonstrates a lack of faith in Divine Providence, which breaks the First Commandment.

While some superstitions may be suggest or represent religious practices (Voodoo for instance), most apply to views and customs about good or bad luck, the prophesying on the prospects of things that will happen based on previous events that are totally unconnected, and to spiritual beings.

A List of Superstitions

Bad Luck

·         Friday, the 13th, an unlucky day

·         The number 13

·         Breaking a mirror, which brings bad luck for 7 years

·         Black cats crossing one’s path

·         Walking under a ladder

·         Opening an umbrella inside a house or building

·         Singing at the table

·         Sleeping on a table

·         A bird coming in the window

·         Refusing to kiss under the Mistletoe

·         Goldfish in the house

·         Chasing someone with a broom

·         Dropping a dishcloth

·         Getting out of bed on a different side than you got in on

·         Rocking an empty rocking chair

·         killing an albatross brings bad luck to a ship as well as its crew and passengers

·         Wearing an opal when it’s not your birthstone

·         Giving someone a  purse or wallet without placing some money in it

·         It is bad luck to leave a house through a different door than one you entered through

Reversing Bad Luck

·         Turn 7 times in a clockwise circle

·         Crossing your fingers

·         Standing in a circle protects you from harm

·         Knocking twice on wood

Protection

·         Garlic protects from vampires

·         Wedding veils protect brides

Good Luck

·         An itchy palm

·         finding a horseshoe

·         Tossing salt over your shoulder

·         Saying “God Bless You” after a sneeze

·         Rabbit’s foot

·         Finding a 4-leaf clover

·         Fate is written in the stars

·         Wearing clothes inside out

·         Wearing your birthstone

·         Beginners always have good luck

·         A cricket in the house

·         Lock of hair from baby’s first hair cut

·         Gold fish in a pond

·         Wearing new clothes on Easter

·         Finding a penny and picking it up

Money and Wishes

·         There’s a pot of gold at the end of every rainbow

·         Blowing out the birthday candles in one breath means you’ll get your wish

·         When breaking a wishbone, the person with the larger piece gets his or her wish

·         Itchy palms mean money

The Prospect of Things to Come Based on Unconnected Events

·         An apple a day keeps the doctor away

·         If you step on a crack, you’ll break your mother’s back

·         Eating fish will make you smart

·         Toads cause warts

·         When the soles of your feet itch, you’ll be taking a trip

·         If a dog howls, a death will occur

·         A sailor who wears a gold earring can’t drown

·         Animals can talk at midnight on Christmas Eve

·         Dropping a fork means a woman will visit, dropping a knife means a man will visit, and dropping a spoon means a child will visit

·         Shivering means someone is casting a shadow on your grave

·         A bride wearing something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue during the wedding ceremony guarantees a happy marriage.

·         Washing a car guarantees it will rain

·         Planning a picnic or other outdoors outings requiring a sunny day will also guarantee rain.

·         Warm hands mean a cold heart, whereas cold hands mean a warm heart

What Are Old Wives Tales?

In the olden days, way before modern technology and modern medicine evolved into what it is today, women were the keepers of medical wisdom which was passed on from generation to generation. Women – especially the Old Wives who were the town’s mothers, grandmothers, midwives and healers – were responsible for delivering babies, healing sick family members and neighbors, were considered experts in nutrition, experts in children, folk medicine, herbs and even death.

Many of the Old Wives’ Tales developed from the wealth of their experience. Some of the Old Wives’ Tales, though were based in superstition, such as the Tale that eating bread crusts would make your  hair curly. Many Old Wives’Tales developed from folk cures for every day ailments (toothaches, colds), or were aimed at teaching about things like deathand natural life changes (explaining pregnancy to kids, beginning of menstruation, or menopause), or to teach children about which behaviors to avoid by associating those behaviors with dire consequences (if you touch a toad you’ll get warts).

Whole books could be written about the Old Wives’ Tales concerning pregnancy (e.g. if you carry the baby high it’s a girl, but if you carry it low it’s a boy). There are way too many pregnancy related Old Wives’ Tales to go into here, but some of the other aspects of life still offer up some really intriguing examples. When reading through this list, you may discover that many of these Old Wives’ Tales sound suspiciously like superstitions.

A List of Old Wives Tales

·         Eating bread crusts will make your hair curly

·         Don’t swallow gum  because it takes seven years to digest

·         Plucking one gray hair means two more will grow back in its place

·         Touching toads gives you warts

·         Don’t swim for an hour after eating, or you’ll get stomach cramps

·         Eating carrots improves eyesight

·         Eating chocolate cause acne

·         Carrying an acorn will bring good luck and long life.

·         Placing acorns on the windowsill will keep lightning out of the house.

·         Ring bells provide protection from demons because the noise scares them.

·         If the first calf born during the winter is white, then the winter will be particular severe.

·         Itchy or ringing right ear means someone is saying something nice about you, while if it occurs in the left ear, someone is saying something bad.

·         Cutting fingernails on Friday or Sunday is bad luck.

·         Save, burn or bury fingernails clippings to prevent bad luck.

·         Anyone dying on Good Friday will go straight to Heaven.

·         Hanging a horseshoe above a door  brings good luck to whomever lives there.

·         Don’t hang a horseshoe upside down, or all the luck will run out.

·         If your nose itches it means (1) a fool is going to kiss you, (2) you will get a visitor – the right nostril means a female visitor and the left nostril means a male visitor.

·         Jogging is bad for you because it jumbles up your insides.

·         Inserting knitting needs into a ball of yarn brings bad luck to the person who uses the item made from that yarn.

·         Catching a falling leaf on the first day of autumn guarantees you won’t get sick all winter.

·         When boiling milk, don’t let it run over the side of the pan or it’ll bring bad luck.

·         Wishes made over burning onions will come true.

·         Using the same pencil for studying and taking tests will ensure good grades, because the pencil remembers the answers.

·         Dropping a pair of scissors means your lover is seeing another behind your back.

·         Dropping an umbrella on the floor of a house means that someone in that house will soon die.

·         Knocking on wood 3 times keeps evil spirits from stealing your good luck.

·         The number of times that the lines on your palms form an “X” indicates the number of children you will have.

·         The number of ribbons a bride breaks when opening her wedding gifts indicates the number of children she will have.

·         Covering your mouth when yawning, prevents the soul from leaving your body.

·         Walking around in bare feet will give you worms.

·         Wearing shoes will help a baby learn to walk faster.

·         If a woman who’s just given birth gets caught in the rain, she will catch a “baby cold” which will cause her death and leave her baby motherless.

·         Hold your breath when driving by a cemetery or you will breathe in the spirit of someone who recently died and was buried there.

·         If the eyes of a dead person are left open, he or she will find someone to take with them.

·         Cranberry juice keeps your kidneys and urinary tract healthy and either fights or prevents urinary tract infections.

·         Don’t cross your eyes, they’ll stuck that way.

·         Telling lies will (1) make your nose grow longer, (2) cause a pimple on your tongue, (3) cause a sore on your lips.

·         Don’t drop a needle, you might step on it and get an infection.

·         Feed a cold and starve a fever.

·         Starve a cold and feed a fever.

(I’ll leave it to you to decide which one those to follow.)

·         If you go outside with a wet head, you’ll catch a cold.

·         Cracking your knuckles will cause arthritis.

·         Covering your mouth when sneezing will prevent your soul from escaping

·         Spicy foods cause ulcers

·         Watching too much TV or sitting too close to the TV will make you blind.

·         A watched pot never boils.

If you want to read on about pregnancy related Old Wives’ Tales, check out this website:

List of 51 pregnancy old wives tales: Your baby’s sex revealed!

http://www.hisboyscanswim.com/658/list-of-51-pregnancy-old-wives-tales-your-babys-sex-revealed

Resources

Travis, Wendy. Life Script. 10 Common Superstitions.

http://www.lifescript.com/soul/spirit/beliefs/10_common_superstitions.aspx?gclid=CITPj4C9h68CFVO9tgodwBCpBQ&trans=1&du=1&ef_id=3FdOP%40Ng%40mMAAExE%3a20120327161628%3as

Wikipedia. Superstition.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superstition

Wikipedia. Old Wives’ Tale.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_wives%27_tale

The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. Common Superstitions.

http://www.csicop.org/superstition/library/common_superstitions/

Ford, Allison. Divine Caroline. Old Wives’ Tales: Fact or Fiction?

http://www.divinecaroline.com/22360/72592-wives-tales-fact-folklore

The Longest List of the Longest Stuff at the Longest Domain Name at Long Last. The A-Z of Old Wives’ Tales.

http://thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast.com/tales110.html

I love the outside, but glad I don’t have to type in the above situation!!!

Following on from my relaxing breakfast - http://webupon.com/blogging/its-friday-the-13th-the-prologue – I went up to my office and got on with some work which had come in from two of my “really nice bloke” clients.  The first job was from a surveyor who wanted a fairly lengthy report about a large estate.  The estate was owned by one of our “minor” lords and he was wanting to do some renovations to some of his period cottages which, thanks to Google, I no longer have to imagine but can go straight onto Google Maps and see it from a bird’s eye view.  The estate with it’s immense manor house in extensive wonderfully landscaped gardens, looked absolutely beautiful, with the cottages being set against a backdrop of woodland, close to the entrance gate.

The second job, a little less exciting, was from an estate agent who had visited a large period town house which had its origins back in the 17th century.  The people were looking to move to a period house further out into the country and needed a valuation for their town house in order to sell it.  The estate agent was dictating a report for the owners setting out what would be the main selling features he would point out to prospective purchasers if he was instructed to sell.  The property had oak beams, an original bread oven and a large wood burner in an original ingle nook fireplace but it also had the benefit of a new kitchen and two or three period style bathrooms.

Although I live in a small house which, going on floor areas, would probably fit into the ground floor of this town house, it was great just to imagine living in such a house.  And, for some reason, I then began to wonder if it could perhaps boast any interesting ghosts, bearing in mind the house’s origins were set way back in the 17th century during which time we were undergoing a turbulent period in history here in the UK.  As a child I’d often dreamed of living in a haunted house but, now being in my 50s, I was a little more wary of coming face to face with the spirit world! 

So far so good, for Friday the 13th!  Having completed this work I then found myself with a distinct lack of paying work but I busied myself with getting out my Sex-Starved Fruit Fly article – http://socyberty.com/sexuality/sex-crazed-fruit-fly-goes-out-on-binge and I interspersed my research on this with a bit of housework so I wouldn’t have so much to do tomorrow (Saturday).  That was a 50/50 bad/good luck moment in the day – good because I had time to relax but, equally, it was bad because I wasn’t bringing in any real money to speak of.

The rest of the day followed much the same line but ended on a relative high when my outsourcing typing agency – OutSec – informed me that they were gaining more surveying clients and wondered if I might be able to take on more of those clients.  It may mean I’d have less time for writing on Triond but it would mean quite a bit of money in the real world!

I finished work quite elated and very early for me – about 5.30 – so I went downstairs, shoved some fish and chips in the oven, fed the cats, and settled down for an evening of “catch up” TV.  Started with a couple of quiz shows that come on during the day when I’m working so I record them each day and then watch them in the evening.  I followed this up with a Sherlock Holmes mystery and a UK police/murder mystery – Scott & Bailey.

So, who says Friday the 13th is unlucky?!  It turned out to be pretty good for me.

My partner concurred with my feelings.  He’d had problems with fitting a new motherboard into his PC earlier in the week but had managed to fix it today.  He’d then downloaded a new RPG game and set up his TeamSpeak to enable him to speak to his friends in Germany and the USA while he was playing his new game.

It goes without saying that my thoughts on Friday the 13th were, as ever, proof positive that Friday the 13th is what you make it.  Think positive and your positive vibes will out; think negative and you’ll end up having a miserable day.  Life’s what you make it.  Thankfully I’m one of those people whose glass is always half full rather than half empty – ever the optimist; seldom the pessimist.

It’s crazy, some people may call it. I have my fair share of considering that superstitions don’t make sense because they have no scientific evidence. I guess it is crazier to simply ignore them. Those beliefs came out for some reasons. Some things in life are complicated enough for our mind to easily accept and understand. A lot of people claim to have experienced or observed them. True or not, it is something worth our respect. Here are 20 of the most famous Filipino superstitions that are rarely heard or practiced today:

1. Eating chicken on New Year’s Day or during birthdays is discouraged. It will make you poor and live like a chicken the whole year. I don’t think it is true but I used to avoid eating chicken on my birthdays for the same reason. Instead I would eat noodles for a longer life.

2. Whatever you do on the New Year’s Day will determine what you will do the entire year.

3. It is not good to take pictures in 3s or 13s; otherwise the one at the center will die.

4. Sweeping the floor at night brings bad luck.

5. Whistling in the evening is considered a curse for someone to die. Sometimes it is considered a call for the bad spirits.

6. Breaking a mirror means bad luck.

7. The visitor should not stand at the door of a house with pregnant woman inside.

8. Sleeping after taking a bath will result blindness. Oh I have done this many times.

9. A menstruating woman is not allowed to take a bath or else she will become crazy.

10. After circumcision, a boy should not step on a mortar or pestle or go near tomatoes. His wounds will get worse.

11. Circumcision should be done during low tide. Doing it during high tide will increase the flow of blood.

12. Extracted teeth should be placed in between strong foundation. It will make the teeth strong, too.

12. Sore eyes can be cured by washing with the first urine early in the morning.

13. Parents who make fun of those who have physical disabilities will have children with similar disabilities.

14. Parents who eat conjoined fruits will bear conjoined twins.

15. Brides are not allowed to try their wedding dress before the wedding day or the wedding will not push through.

16. A lingering black butterfly is a sign of death of a relative.

17. Having a dream of falling teeth means death of a family member.

18. A person with mole on his foot is considered a wanderer. Those with mole on the hands are considered creative.

19. Those with big ears will have long life.

20. Taking a bath at night with cause anemia.

Built in 1863 for the Reverend Henry Bull. It sits on the site of an ancient monastery. The ghost of a mournful nun who patrolled the so called “Nun’s Walk” had often been seen there. An old story claimed that she had fallen in love with a monk from the Borley Monastery- to outrage- and the two had tried to elope together but had been quickly tracked down. The monk was executed and the nun bricked up in the cellars of the monastic buildings!

There are countless tales of ghosts from all over the world, but some are far more interesting than most. Many of us remember that superb horror film ‘The Shining’, based on the novel by Stephen King.  The book was inspired by a stay at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. Assigned Room 217, he reportedly himself heard ghost children playing in the hallway.

Many have experienced paranormal activity in this hotel, but these real-life ghosts seem harmless. Of the many spirits that are said to haunt the place, guests and employees claim to have heard faint music coming from the ballroom, and seen the piano keys moving.

Woodchester Mansion in Gloucestershire, England, is another building with a ghostly reputation.. Building work has never been completed here, and in the last 200 years workers have repeatedly run from the place, seven of the builders rumored to have died in inexplicable accidents..

Strange noises are often heard, like the sounds of crashing masonry or voices wailing, and many ghosts, including Roman soldiers and young girls.have reportedly been seen Regular ghost hunts are held here.

One of the more notorious haunted sites is the Skirrid Mountain Inn in Llanfihangel Crucorney, Wales. 900 years old, according to folklore over 180people have been hanged from a beam on the staircase, which is still in place today, with rope marks, apparently. The first floor of the inn is thought to have been the courtroom during this time. 

Glasses often suddenly fly across the room of their own accord, faces are seen at windows and people feel nooses around their necks.  Guests who stay there often report waking to icy room temperatures – even when the heating is on – and the feeling of being watched. 17th century barmaid Fanny Price is thought to be the most active spirit among many, but everyone agrees that this really is one scary place to stay.

People in India know all about ghosts. Locals give the Bhangarh fort, and the area around it, a wide berth, due to some popular spooky stories associated with the fort and town. Authorities have told visitors not to enter the ruined city after dusk. It is said that a wicked sorcerer cursed the city after being spurned by a princess. The 17th-century city was soon destroyed by an advancing army, leaving only its temples intact, and has been uninhabited since. Visitors say that birds and wildlife fall silent as the spirit of the sorcerer approaches at night, and nobody has ever tried to spend the night there. Just too spooky to take that chance

Perhaps the last place on this list will surprise you most. The infamous prison of Alcatraz, which closed in 1963, is said to be haunted by many of the former residents. Things as different as the sound of banjo playing by Al Capone to the really eerie events that occur in solitary confinement cell 14D, where a prisoner was said to have been strangled to death by a spectral beast in the 1940s. Visitors have in the past reported smelling smoke where no fire was burning, and hearing the unhappy screams and shouts from the ghosts of long dead condemned prisoners.  Another uncomfortable location that sets your spine tingling. If you give credence to the idea of ghosts or not, it is difficult to deny that places like this have a certain ‘feel’ to them which makes you want to get out ASAP. Overactive imagination, or subconscious warning?  You be the judge.

Fairies are magical beings who create the circles by dancing within them. Myths tell of mortal people entering fairy rings and suffering for it.  Some believe that anyone who stepping into an empty fairy ring will die young., Those violating fairy perimeters become invisible to those outside and may be unable leave the circle. The fairies force intruders to dance to till exhausted, dead, or in the throes of madness.

The only safe way, according to some beliefs, to investigate a fairy ring is to run around it nine times only. A tenth lap would nullify the effect .Doing this allows the runner to hear the fairies dancing underground. It must be done under a full moon, and in the direction the sun travels during the day. It is also said that wearing a hat backwards confuses the fairies and stops them from doing the wearer any harm.

There are many sites in the UK where fairies are believed to be regular visitors, though always apparently at full moon.  . For example, The Pixies Church” was a rock formation in Dartmoor surrounded by a fairy ring, and a stone circle at Cader Iris in Wales is believed to be a popular spot for fairy dances. A Devon legend says that a black hen and chickens sometimes appear at dusk in a large fairy ring on the edge  of Dartmoor…

Victorian society believed that fairies, elves and witches were all closely associated with one another, and malevolent toward humans.  Scandinavian and Celtic traditions have it that fairy rings are caused by elves dancing, just as witches and fairies do.  One Scottish woman claimed that the mushrooms were used as seats and tables for dining by the magical beings, while a welsh girl claimed that the fungi were used as umbrellas.

Twentieth century beliefs in parts of the UK still held firm to stories of fairy activity, and many think of them as omens of good fortune. Despite those who associate them with ill luck, some legends see fairy circles as places of fertility and fortune. Welsh folk believe that mountain sheep eating fairy ring grass flourish, and crops sown around them do far better than those planted elsewhere..

Fairy rings also occupy a prominent place in European folklore as the location of gateways into elfin kingdoms, or places where elves gather and dance. They are called sorcerer’s rings in France, and witches rings in German, where folk believe they are most active on Walpurgis Nacht – Hallowe’en to us. According to the local folklore, a fairy ring appears when a fairy, pixie,  witch or elf appear.

The Dutch believe that  the empty centre of the fairy ring occurs because the devil puts his milk-churn there. Austrian folklore has it that fairy rings are created by flying dragons, and once created nothing but toadstools could grow there for seven years. French belief is that fairy rings are guarded by giant toads that curse any violating the circles. Elsewhere in Europe, entering a fairy ring could cost the intruder an eye.

The truth is much less romantic, but perhaps does need to be told.  Fact is that fungi such as toadstools use up a lot of Nitrogen when growing.  They will therefore tend to spread their spores outward from where they are located so that the new growth has soil to grow in which still contains what they need. As nutrients are depleted the growth continues in that circular fashion.  So the feet of mystical beings have no bearing on the barren nature of the ring middle. There’s just nothing left there for the fungi to feed on.

This can be alleviated where rabbits are abundant, because they crop the grass short but leave the toadstools alone. Their droppings are rich in Nitrogen, so over time they will replenish what earlier plant growth had taken out of the soil.  In time a secondary circle of mushrooms could appear in the centre of the original, creating an unusual double fairy ring, which folklore has it is especially magical.

It  is all a matter of personal taste and belief. For those who prefer the straight biology of it, the mushroom circle is still a fascinating thing to observe, but for those like me, foe whom the imagined has far more appeal, the Fairy Ring theory holds sway. There is undoubtedly far more on earth and in heaven than we can possibly know or understand.  Are you willing to chance violating that fairy ring boundary, or would you, like me, prefer to play it safe?

1. The lack of hard work; strikes and boycotts, sluggish bureaucracy 

2. Less concern about other individuals; extreme selfishness, living for money.  

3.  Less honesty, cheating, not keen to keep word; less discipline

4. Finding out others’ faults not own; discouraging innovative ideas

5. Choosing shortcuts to become rich; drug trafficking, alcoholism, lottery

6.  Superstitions; slavery to tradition and faith, no liberal outlook. Religion and nationalism prevail as bad master, not good servant

7. Indulgence in sex more than required. Less time to develop innovative idea.

8. Less toleration, devotion and sacrifice for nation; hatred prevails, not love

9. Poor planning; resources are underutilized and poorly distributed

10. Most of the  ‘rulers’ and administrators luxurious: own welfare is preferred to national, international and social interest; corruption, ego, less transparency

Are these problems genetic, incurable and geographically distributed along with the origin and evolution of the earth? It shall be a good subject of research for anthropologists. But, these ten points contribute either directly or indirectly for unstable political systems and poor growth rate, don’t these?

Research says that 95% of people in the United States has some form of superstition.  I used to work with a woman that would take those off as personal days because she was so scared.

The number 13 and Friday repeatedly are spoken of in mythology and some religions.

Christians note that 13 people attended the Last Supper, with Jesus before Judas (one of his disciples) betrayed him.  Jesus death was also on a Friday.

Even though he was not a religion or mythical, rapper Tupac Shakur died on Friday, Sept. 13, 1996, after being shot days before.

Powering this fear are the Friday the 13th movie series.  All about some very unlucky events.

Some hotels and high rise buildings skip having a 13th floor entirely.

How was your Friday the 13th?

Rossini was surrounded to the last by admiring and affectionate friends; Why Friday the 13th Is Unlucky

Consequently, several theories have been proposed about the origin of the Friday the 13th superstition.

One theory states that it is a modern amalgamation of two older superstitions: that thirteen is an unlucky number and that Friday is an unlucky day.

In numerology, the number twelve is considered the number of completeness, as reflected in the twelve months of the year, twelve hours of the clock, twelve gods of Olympus, twelve tribes of Israel, twelve Apostles of Jesus, the 12 Descendants of Muhammad Imams, etc., whereas the number thirteen was considered irregular, transgressing this completeness. There is also a superstition, thought by some to derive from the Last Supper or a Norse myth, that having thirteen people seated at a table will result in the death of one of the diners.
Friday has been considered an unlucky day at least since the 14th century’s The Canterbury Tales, and many other professions have regarded Friday as an unlucky day to undertake journeys or begin new projects. Black Friday has been associated with stock market crashes and other disasters since the 1800s. It has also been suggested that Friday has been considered an unlucky day because, according to Christian scripture and tradition, Jesus was crucified on a Friday.One author, noting that references are all but nonexistent before 1907 but frequently seen thereafter, has argued that its popularity derives from the publication that year of Thomas W. Lawson’s popular novel Friday, the Thirteenth, in which an unscrupulous broker takes advantage of the superstition to create a Wall Street panic on a Friday the 13th. Records of the superstition are rarely found before the 20th century, when it became extremely common.
The connection between the Friday the 13th superstition and the Knights Templar was popularized in the 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code. However, experts agree that this is a relatively recent correlation, and most likely a modern-day invention. Although according to many Freemasons, this date corresponds with the slaughtering of the Knights Templar by the Church.

 According to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, North Carolina, an estimated 17 to 21 million people in the United States are affected by a fear of this day. Some people are so paralyzed by fear that they avoid their normal routines in doing business, taking flights or even getting out of bed. “It’s been estimated that [US]$800 or $900 million is lost in business on this day”. Despite this, representatives for both Delta and Continental Airlines say that their airlines do not suffer from any noticeable drop in travel on those Fridays.

Rate of accidentsThere are conflicting studies about the risk of accidents on Friday the 13th. The Dutch Centre for Insurance Statistics (CVS) on June 12, 2008, stated that “fewer accidents and reports of fire and theft occur when the 13th of the month falls on a Friday than on other Fridays, because people are preventatively more careful or just stay home. Statistically speaking, driving is slightly safer on Friday the 13th, at least in the Netherlands; in the last two years, Dutch insurers received reports of an average 7,800 traffic accidents each Friday; but the average figure when the 13th fell on a Friday was just 7,500.” However, a 1993 study in the British Medical Journal that compared the ratio of traffic accidents between Friday the 6th and Friday the 13th stated that there is a significant increase in traffic-related accidents on Friday the 13th.] There are indications that there are more accidents on Fridays than average weekdays (irrespective of the date) probably because of alcohol consumption. Therefore it is less relevant for this purpose to compare Friday the 13th with any other 13th day of another month.

 So this may be a truly unlucky day I leave it to you and your beliefs .

Image via Wikipedia

Myths about January

1) The name Janus and month January
The name January itself has a mythological story. Since it is the first month of the year it is said that January is the turning point of time, looking back and forward. It will have the memories and sighs of the passing year whereas it will have hopes and anxious expectations about the forthcoming year. Janus was the Roman god of Time who had two faces, one face was old, wrinkled, bearded and was looking back and the other face was clean shaved, looking forward with a fresh and energetic face.

2)  January effect
People always have a tagged notion on their first events. Superstition about “being first” at the change of time is commonly found all over the world. They believe that the new beginnings will bring luck and good results. This “January Effect” has affected even financial matters and people are eagerly waiting for the “January effect”. For example, 2011 was not so good economically and people hope that 2012 will bring better results.

3) The first footing tradition
There is a mythological belief that the first seconds, minutes and hour are very important in the following year. Hence they wait to kiss their loved ones on the stroke of midnight to ensure they remain closer to them through the coming year. So also they have superstitions on many “first footing” traditions. Many still uphold the belief that the first person appearing through the door after the stroke of midnight will set the tone for the following year.

4) Myths on first symbols
It is believed that if the first person that one meets at the turn of the year is a dark haired male stranger, bearing symbolic gifts of coal, it means the year will be warm, or if he brings salt or money the new year will bring prosperity. If the first thing got on the first day is bread, it means abundance of food and if it is something green it means long life and good luck.

Myths about other days in January

1) January 1st is called National Hangover Day and has a lot of myths on hangovers.

2) The Saxons considered January 2nd as the most unlucky day of year to be born and they believed those born on this day were said to be destined to suffer an unpleasant death, whether violent or unusual.

3) January 5th is called Twelfth Night, as it is the end of the Christmas celebrations. That is why people still believe it will bring bad luck to leave the Christmas decorations and tree up after this date.