FRIDAY THE 13TH: JASON TAKES OVER THE TWO MINUTE DRILL

 

"shhh-shhh-shh...kill..kill..kill." ;-)

Welcome to a special "Friday the 13th" edition of the Two Minute Drill!! Thought I'd change it up a bit and offer you the meanings behind some superstitions. Ever wonder why Friday the 13th is considered unlucky? (It has nothing to do with our "friend" in the picture. hehehe). Why do you throw salt over your right shoulder if you spill it? Here are the stories behind the omens. ;-)

Hope you enjoy it! Thanx to Oldsuperstitions.com for the info!

 

VERY SUPERSTITIOUS

Friday the Thirteenth - The Scandinavian's believed that the number 13 was unlucky due to the mythological 12 demigods being joined by a 13th, an evil one, who brought misfortune upon humans. It was also said that Christ was crucified on Friday and the number of guests at the party of the Last Supper was 13, with the 13th guest being Judas, the traitor

 Walking under a ladder - A leaning ladder forms a triangle with the wall and ground. Triangles represent the Holy Trinity, and violating the Trinity by breaking it (walking through it) would put you in league with the devil himself.

Black Cats - In ancient Egypt, the Goddess Bast was a black, female cat. Christians, wanting to rid society of all traces of other religions, convinced the ignorant that black cats were demons in disguise and should thus be destroyed. In the process, they also destroyed the kindly ladies who cared for the cats, believing them to be witches. Being demons, a black cat crossing your path would create a barrier of evil, cutting you off from God and blocking the entrance to heaven.

Spilling Salt - Salt used to be an expensive commodity used mainly for medicinal purposes. For this reason, spillage was to be avoided at all costs. The idea that it is unlucky to do so probably stems from the belief that Judas spilt salt during the last supper. Throwing spilt salt over the left shoulder is linked to its medicinal use. If it could not be administered, the next best thing was to throw it into the eye of the evil spirits that brought sickness upon us. These spirits were thought to lurk behind your shoulder, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Other Superstitions

The following things are considered Bad Luck:

A bat flying into the house

An owl hooting 3 times

3 butterflies together

Looking at the new moon over your left shoulder

Breaking a glass while proposing a toast

Red and white flowers together

Beautiful..but dangerous! ;-)

Hearing a rooster crow at night

 Cutting your nails on a Friday

Putting a hat on a bed (I'm guilty of this one)

Getting out of bed left foot first

A picture falling

Singing before breakfast (What if its in the shower? uh-oh. ;-) )

Opening an umbrella indoors

 Giving away a wedding present

Crossed knives

Sparrows are said to carry the souls of the deceased to the after-life. To kill one means that you will be cursed.

If a groom drops the ring during the ceremony then the marriage is doomed to failure.

What about goodluck you ask? Well here's how you can ward off "bad luck"

Saying God Bless You When Somebody Sneezes. When the great plague swept Europe., sufferers began sneezing violently which was a sign of death. The Pope therefore passed a law requiring people to bless the sneezer. At the same time, it was expected that anybody sneezing would cover their mouth with a cloth or their hand. This was obviously to stop the spreading of the disease, but many believed that it was to keep the soul intact. Sneezing 'into the air' would allow the soul to escape and death would be imminent. Up until this time, the opposite was true. Those who sneezed were congratulated, as it was believed that a violent sneeze would expel evil from their bodies.

Knock on Wood - It was believed that good spirits lived in trees, and that by knocking on anything made from wood, we could call upon these spirits for protection against misfortune.

Fingers Crossed - By making the sign of the Christian faith with our fingers, evil spirits would be prevented from destroying our chances of good fortune.

So there you have it. Of course if you're not superstitious, you have nothing to worry about! ;-) Except for this guy of course:

RUN BILLY!!! hahaha

Well, 4 updates this week!! Look who finally got on the ball!! Have an awesome weekend and hopefully I'll be back on Monday with more Two Minute goodness. ;-) Be safe everyone.

DQ