Source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/09/130912-friday-13th-thirteenth-superstitions-phobias-nation-culture/
This article from National Geographic, by John Roach, explains some of the reasons why Western culture contains the fear of Friday the 13th. It came out a day before this month's Friday the 13th, giving readers something to think about as they waited for the feared date. One of the reasons stems back to biblical times. Judas was the 13th death, and his betrayal of Jesus led to Jesus' death on what people believe to have been a Friday. Because there were 13 people gathered at the Last Supper, that added to the taboo on the number. Some also people believe that Eve gave Adam the forbidden fruit on a Friday, leading to the downfall of man, or that Cain slew Abel on Friday the 13th.
Another reason given in the article is that 13 is considered "incomplete" due to it's place after the "complete" number 12 in the counting system. 12 months, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 zodiac signs, 12 gods of olympus, etc... These fears, along with some people having triskadekaphobia (fear of the number 13), has left many people too afraid to leave their home or do regular business when Friday the 13th rolls around. Roach wanted to give people something to think about before the climactic date came around. Perhaps Roach wanted to try and encourage some of his audience, those who sustain the phobia, to leave it behind and go about their regular business free of fear.
I believe that Roach accomplished his purpose of trying to get readers to think, and maybe even change their approach toward Friday the 13th. He effectively explained why the phobia is ingrained in Western culture, and offered other sources that supported him. I found the article extremely interesting due to it's relevance to current events.
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