Down 13th Street

          I’ve never been much for superstition, especially “Friday the 13th”.    Of course, I seem to have “bad luck” regardless of which day of the year it is, but I digress.    So, what’s to fear, a hockey player with a machete?    I wouldn’t be running around in the woods anyway.    Ever wonder where the legend of “Friday the 13th” came from?    With many things, there is a lot of speculation with it.
          Some say that “Friday the 13th”, most likely, came from the end of the medieval “crusades” and the removal of the Knights Templar.    In 1307, King Philip IV of France and Pope Clement V set out to disband the Templars.    On the morning of Friday, October 13th, Jacques de Molay and the rest of the Templars were arrested.    It certainly sounds like bad luck for them.    Is it the origin?
          Some argue that the legend came from much further back, as in, “The Last Supper”.    Supposedly, Jesus of Nazareth broke bread with 12 other people at the table and was arrested the very next day, which was a Friday.    Things don’t sound very lucky for him, either.
          Still, others say that the superstition is a much more modern idea and only started at the beginning of the 1900s with a book entitled, Friday, the 13th, written by Nathaniel Lachenmeyer.    However, if that’s true, then our grand dreams of ancient, superstitious magics comes crashing to the ground.   Stephen King would, certainly, have a harder time.
          Black cats be damned, it might all be fairy tales and fluff.    Certainly, the idea of the mystery and intrigue surrounding something like “Friday the 13th”, especially when it’s in October, only adds to the wonder of the holiday.    Sometimes, reality isn’t a whole lot of fun.    Is it any wonder that we, as curious, secret-chasing humans, create unknown stories and little games?    Maybe it’s just another kid game, like avoiding the floor because “it’s lava”.    What about you?    Feeling unlucky?