Hey, writers.

My head was swimming with the ideas for this Happy Holidays article.  There’s so much surrounding the Friday the 13th phenomenon.  There’s the history of it, the blurry creation of it, the stacks and stacks of Jason Voorhees stuff (the guy with the weapons and the hockey mask).

And, of course, the superstitions.

Hit the jump, writers, and let’s discuss.

So again, there’s a lot of aspects to consider when it comes to Friday the 13th.  I wanted to delve into it all, but then I knew I’d just have a giant article on my hands.  Don’t fret though, writers, Friday the 13th occurs about one to three times a year.  So it won’t be long before I revisit it.

Before we start with the number thirteen, let’s start with the number twelve.

I did research for this article and I kept having images pop into my head.  Look at Item A and then look at Item B.

 

 

Item A is a collection of 12 dots.  I see a perfectly proportioned stack of bricks.  Or maybe even a building.  Sharp right angles, looks good.

Item B is also a collection of 12 dots.  I see pens in a case.  Or maybe a sword in a sheath.  Also crisp, also looks good.

Alright, writers, compare and contrast with Item C and Item D below.

 

 

In Item C, we had a perfect set of 12…and now there’s a weird-looking outlier.  Item D could have been a table leg, but now we have a wobbly table.  That one red dot makes me think of a beautiful Ferrari with a sleek, pristine shape…and a spot of Bondo on the side.  It just doesn’t work.

So why do I mention all that?

A lot of what I’ve been reading about Friday the 13th talks about the fact that thirteen literally isn’t twelve.  For instance, think of the twelve days of Christmas.  Now, ask yourself, what would the thirteenth day of Christmas be like?  If the superstition holds, then I imagine bad things would happen on that thirteenth day–especially if it landed on a Friday.

Having said that…I imagine 25 days of Christmas would bring all kinds of goodness.  Hm…Food for thought, writers.  Haha.

12 + 1 = ???

Continuing with the idea of the thirteenth thing being the outlier, however, I have to mention something else I found in my research.  Now, I’ll be the first person to say that I’m not very religious.  Anyway.  At the Last Supper, there were thirteen present.  Some people like to point to that as one of the reasons that there’s an aversion to the number 13.

Much of my research had me double-backing into religious content.  It wasn’t the first time it happened, I felt the same way with my Saint Patrick’s Day article.

So yes, there were numerous religious-based reasons for 13 to be a bad number.  Though, like the 12 days of Christmas and my Item C and Item D, you could really just argue that 13 is NOT 12.

Tsk Tsk

Long ago I asked myself why superstitions exist.  Some I couldn’t explain but some, I felt, had clear practical reasons.  For instance, the idea of walking under a ladder causes bad luck.  I can’t draw any connections as to why that is.  Are there religious ceremonies that involve ladders?  I honestly I have no idea.

Having said that, if I was up on a ladder, I would want all the children (and adults) in a mile’s radius to not play under my ladder.  I don’t want to fall, and I don’t want to hurt any kids either.  So, aside from yelling at them (“No running in the halls!” or “No playing ball in the house!”), perhaps instead I start a superstition of it being “bad luck.”  Now, I have no idea if that’s true, but if it were somehow traced back to an adult doing that, I wouldn’t be surprised.

Case in point, think of a broken mirror.

What was once a beautiful thing on the wall would then be a collection of broken shards just waiting to slice into feet and it’s all over the floor.  Imagine the scenario of a child breaking a mirror and not realizing the danger he/she had just created.  Same “practical” theory could apply here.  An adult somewhere may have just wanted the children nearby to stop smashing mirrors.

Now, the question that comes to mind for me is, “Why seven years?”  Why isn’t it thirteen years?  Maybe a LIFETIME of bad luck seemed a bit too much and the child this one adult was talking to was seven years away from “being an adult” or something.  Not sure.  Though that does make me wonder how arbitrary the number seven is in this case.  Or, the number thirteen in other cases.

Socks, Mittens, Boots

There’s a section of the population that doesn’t believe in superstitions.  Understandable.  In a lot of circles, superstitions are considered the stuff of children.  For instance, a broken mirror?  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  Or say there was an umbrella open indoors?  Well, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

Now the interesting thing here is that those same people, sometimes–not all the time mind you–they also have their own superstitions.  For instance, “The first game of the season I didn’t wash my underwear and then we won that game.  Alright, well, I’m gonna not wash my underwear for the next game and…wow!  We won that game, too.”

Say this guy who didn’t wash his drawers…then proceeded to be a part of a winning season?  Oh boy, every time his team plays he’s going to be the guy with the dirtiest, nastiest underwear now.  That’s just how it is.  And in some circles, that’s perfectly fine.

For the record, writers.  I’m a big fan of the New York Giants.  And they did TERRIBLY last season.  Hm…maybe I should stop washing my underwear…

Tokens

I’ve seen the “superstition” concept woven well into stories as well.  I remember a story with Usagi Yojimbo.  He’s a samurai and he’s having a meal with his childhood crush.  They’re both grown now, and she’s married to another man.  They have a simple dialogue (keep in mind this is a comic with lots of sword fighting and dead bodies are common).  “Remember when we were kids?  That promise we made to each other?” he asked.  “Oh yeah, so silly what children say, isn’t it?” she responds.  Then there’s like a flashback of the two of them making a promise and then handing each other trinkets.  “Such a long time ago.  Well, I’m tired.  Good night!”  So they separate.

Usagi’s in his own room, and she’s in her room.  He pulls out the hairpin that she used to wear as a little girl and she has something of his, too.  It’s a super touching moment.  As the main character of an action comic there isn’t much reason for him to carry such a trinket, but it makes the character a little bit deeper.  It softens an otherwise 25/7 stoic character.

Similarly, there’s a moment in the Marvel movies that I really loved.  Captain America, after he gets his powers and is in battle, is shown taking out a compass.  The underside of the top cover has a picture of the Agent Peggy Carter.  It’s a sweet moment.

It’s a common enough trope:  Taking photos (or ‘stuff’) of loved ones into a difficult situation.  It doesn’t make the bad guys stop shooting at you or anything, but I understand.

Now, writers, I don’t want it to seem like it’s only for romantic scenes.  One of my favorite “carry into battle” trinkets is from one my favorite characters of all time.  Ryu’s red headband originally didn’t belong to him.  He was sparring with his friend Ken, and Ken tells him that his head isn’t in the match.  Ken gives him the red headband and they talk about how it’ll be a reminder for Ryu to always focus on the battle.

In movies, I remember in Bloodsport that they did a thing with headbands as well.  Though, it was probably a bit bloodier there.

In another movie, Katniss and the Mockingjay pin.

My point here, writers, is that there’s a lot of directions we can go with these “superstitions.”  From the romantic trinkets that people hold onto to the oath that warriors make before battle.

Alright, writers, I’m gonna cut it here.  Now, I know there are still some people who don’t believe in the whole superstition thing.  Fair enough, but one parting question:

Say you’re having a conversation with your fiancé/fiancée.  Everything’s going great, and you mention wanting to set a wedding date.

Significant other:  "Babe, you wanted a June wedding, right?"

You:  "Yes, that's right. "

Significant other:  "How about June 13.  It's Friday the thirteenth, but the date works out."

Okay, writers, be honest…do you set your wedding day on Friday the 13th or do you pick another day? 🙂

Haha.  Sound off in the comments!

Aloha,
Alvin

P.S.  Here’s your quote of the day:  “You are what you write.” ― Helvy Tiana Rosa, Risalah Cinta