THERE'S A DOUBLE DOSE OF FRIDAY THE 13TH IN FEBRUARY AND MARCH, BUT DON'T WORRY. ALSO, FUN TRIVIA ABOUT FRIDAY THE 13TH
Triskaidekaphobes be warned: You should be especially wary in the months of February and March this year.
Superstitious people may want to avoid black cats, opening umbrellas inside of buildings, breaking mirrors, walking under ladders and other "bad luck" activities because the 1998 calendar provides back-to-back Fridays the 13th in those months. Triskaidekaphobia is the fear of the number 13.
The last time the Gregorian calendar offered this double dose of bad luck was in 1987. Including 1998, it has happened 11 times this century. Because February is 28 days long -- except during a leap year -- February and March are the only consecutive months in which this phenomenon occurs.
The other years in this century which have had back-to-back Fridays the 13th were 1903, 1914, 1925, 1931, 1942, 1953, 1959, 1970, 1981 and 1987. (NOTE: A sidebar story with "fun trivia" about Friday the 13th is included at the end of this story.)
People really should not be concerned about Fridays the 13th in consecutive months, according to Terri Bonebright, assistant professor of psychology at DePauw University, Greencastle, Ind. She said people's fears about Friday the 13th are just another human superstition through which people try to find a reason for the causes and effects of daily life.
"It all revolves around superstition," Bonebright said. "In the case of Friday the 13th, many people have been told it will be a bad day, so they selectively remember all the bad events that occurred throughout the day. On the other hand, on a Monday the 9th, for example, something bad may happen, but people will not link that day to bad luck."
Throughout history people have wanted explanations for the events affecting them and their lives. According to Bonebright, superstition often provides a vehicle to rationalize unexplained events or circumstances for which the person is ultimately responsible.
Bonebright cites the example of a student who takes a test and fails it. "If he or she sees a black cat or some other superstitious event before the test, he or she might say, 'I flunked the test because I didn't wear my lucky hat.' The person should actually take responsibility for his or her actions and say, 'I flunked the test because I didn't study enough.'"
Bonebright said she is amazed how superstition carries over to many other things in society. She said she recently stayed in a newly built hotel in Philadelphia without a 13th floor.
"I was surprised to see that even in a newly constructed building there would not be a 13th floor," Bonebright said. "This association between the 13th floor and tragedy is not born out of reality."
Bonebright said most people who are superstitious of Friday the 13th do not have a serious problem, but she said if superstition rules a person's life, he or she should seek professional help.
FUN TRIVIA ABOUT FRIDAY THE 13TH
Friday the 13th has an interesting role in our calendar, according to Underwood Dudley, professor of mathematics at DePauw University, Greencastle, Ind., and author of two books, including a recent one on numerology.
The Gregorian calendar, which is currently in use, operates on a 400-year cycle so that years repeat themselves exactly during each 400-year period. Thus, 1998 has the same days as 1598 did in some of the world at that time, Dudley said. The Gregorian calendar was not introduced to the American colonies until 1752.
Dudley also offers the following trivia about Friday the 13th:
--The 13th of a month is more likely to fall on a Friday than on any other day.
--In each 400-year cycle of the Gregorian calendar, 170 years have one Friday the 13th, 171 have two, and 59 have three (including 1998).
--It is impossible to have a year with no Friday the 13th or a year with four or more Fridays the 13th.
--When there are three Fridays the 13th in a year, they occur in February, March and November (including 1998) except in leap years. In leap years, they occur in January, April and July.
--When there is only one Friday the 13th in a year, it falls either in May, June, August or October, which are not generally thought of as being unlucky months.
--The longest period of time with no Friday the 13th is 426 days. The shortest period with four Fridays the 13th is 428 days.
And, by the way, what became known as the Gregorian calendar was ordered in 1582 by Pope Gregory the Thirteenth.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND TO CONTACT THE PROFESSORS, CALL (765) 658-4628 AT DEPAUW UNIVERSITY.
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