It is that day in American culture that feels rather creepy to many people. Gory horror stories connected to Friday the 13th are plentiful. Numbers are meaningful in other cultures - good luck numbers and bad luck numbers - but Americans generally shun 13. You can't find a 13th floor in some buildings, or even an apartment 13.
I, on the other hand, feel a certain connection to Friday the 13th since I was born on one. It has always felt like a happy day to me even though I must admit I can't remember anything particularly lucky or unlucky happening to me on a Friday the 13th.
But I do remember a very unusual Friday the 13th. I was flying back from Asia. I left on Friday the 13th, and since we gain a day flying from Asia to the U.S., I arrived early on Friday the 13th. I wonder when I'll ever have two Friday the 13ths coming together again.
So, Happy Friday the 13th!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
In Chinese culture four is considered unlucky because it has the same pronunciation as death -- except with a different tone. So if someone is going on a trip or into the military it would be considered very unlucky to give them four of something. I didn't know that when I spent a year in Taiwan studying Mandarin. So when good friend went into the army, I gave him a good luck card and enclosed 400 New Taiwan Dollars (about US$10), which I thought was a generous gift considering I was a poor student. Little did I know ...
ReplyDelete