Friday the 13th

I love Friday the 13th! Actually, after the week I've had? I just love Friday. (Hopefully next week won't be so brutal, and I'll be able to get more posting done.) But the 13th is special! Not because I believe it's unlucky, but because there are actually people who do! And laughing at the fears of others is just what I do, folks. Hey, a little mocking never hurt anyone, and superstitious people are begging for it! Here's some fun info I found to illustrate how stupid it really is:

From Dictionary.com:

su⋅per⋅sti⋅tion –noun
1.a belief or notion, not based on reason or knowledge, in or of the ominous significance of a particular thing, circumstance, occurrence, proceeding, or the like.
2.a system or collection of such beliefs.
3.a custom or act based on such a belief.
4.irrational fear of what is unknown or mysterious, esp. in connection with religion.
5.any blindly accepted belief or notion.

From Wikipedia:

Opening an umbrella indoors is said to result in 21 days of bad luck. Some traditions hold that it is only bad luck if the umbrella is placed over the head of someone while indoors.

When you speak of bad luck, it is said that one should always knock on wood. Also knocking when speaking of good luck apparently helps with having good luck. This is an old Celtic tradition related to belief of wood spirits.

Spilling salt is said to cause a fight or argument during the day. There are several options to "undo" this which seem to relate to various ways of acknowledging the fact that salt was spilled with others present at the scene. One way to revert this is tossing some salt over one's left shoulder with ones right hand.

Breaking a mirror is said to bring bad luck for 7 years. To "undo" this, take the shards of glass and bury them underneath the moonlight.

Uttering the word "MacBeth" in a theatre is said to bring bad luck, unless performing the show. It is commonly referred to as "The Scottish Play." The play is supposedly cursed.

Before traveling a person should, apparently, sit on their luggage.

Triskaidekaphobia--In Western Culture, the number 13 is perceived as unlucky; 12a is sometimes used as a substitute and some buildings skip floor 13 completely.