Friday the 13th

No. No.. Not that movie franchise…

The day.

You know, today.

And a bit of what comes with it.

According to my go to first check, good old Wikipedia, most scholars say this is a superstition of relatively recent origin. While some like to find origins in the Middle Ages, apparently there’s little to support this assertion. Probably it isn’t a thing any earlier earlier than the nineteenth century. And it doesn’t get big ’till the twentieth century…

On the other hand various cultures have their bad luck days, too.

In both Spanish speaking and Greek cultures, there’s Tuesday the 13th. And in Italian popular culture, Friday the 17th.

Superstitions are a part of being human. A good working definition fo a superstition is how it is something people believe, or do, that appears irrational to an outside observer. Often written off as the product of ignorance. Of trying to capture the meaning of something, but screwing it up.

In that sense as Merriam-Webster tells us a superstition is “a notion maintained despite evidence to the contrary.” Say, like a lot of our social and political views.

Superstitions are not unconnected from religion, and religious views, either. Sometimes a collection of peripheral beliefs to the core of a tradition. And, well, sometimes, at least it can be argued, the core beliefs of a tradition. At least from one perspective or another.

So, it’s all in fact messy.

And that brings me back to Friday the 13th.

There are days like that. Just rotten, no good, it’s best to stay in bed, days…

Stands up to objective analysis? Maybe not. But in the feeling realms… Well…

Whatever, here we are. A season of unrest. Maybe one of many in our future. And so Friday the 13th? Perhaps not a bad time to ruminate on sins, one’s own maybe, but certainly those of everyone else…

And, possibly a day to just stay in bed with a cup of hot chocolate…