So here we are on Friday 13th

I know, I'm a bit late. The year 2009 is only just over three months old and we have already had 2 Friday 13ths, and I should really have blogged this earlier. Still, in the history of humanity there will be plenty more, so I guess this is timeless, really.
In most (western) cultures, Friday 13th is synonymous with bad luck, a superstition that ranks up there with passing under ladders (associated to the hangman's gallows) and crossing black cats (linked to witchcraft). The reason for this could be anything, though the people who are interested in such things seem to agree it could be for two reasons. First, the massacre of the Templar knights was planned for a Friday 13th, and Jesus was crucified on a Friday, after the last supper where the 13th man (Judas, 12 disciples plus Jesus) betrayed him.
In France however, Friday 13th is considered by many as a day of luck. This is partly due to a brilliant marketing ploy launched in the early 90s by the boss of the française des jeux, the national company that runs the lottery. On this day, lottery gains are humoungous and tens of millions of people play, and ads for the loto play with the luck/bad luck associations people have with this day.
And in case you were wondering, the power of Friday 13th is not just about getting people to gamble. There are also severe pathologies linked to a phobia of this day, as real as clautrophobia, arachnophobia or others.
And yes, it does have a name: paraskevidekatriaphobia, from the Greek for Friday, 13 and fear!