Friday the 13th

Friggatriskaidekaphobia is the fear of Friday the 13th. If you never knew this, now you do.

I actually find Friday the 13th to be a superstitious day. I do fear driving or doing anything that could cause harm on this day. Of course, I did drive today and nothing bad happened yet. According to livescience.com, here are some interesting facts about Friday the 13th:

— This is the first year in which there were three Friday the 13th dates: Jan. 13, April 13 and July 13. They all fell 13 weeks apart. Last time that happened was 1984. The next year for three Friday the 13ths is 2015 when they will fall in February, March and November.

— The No. 13 is usually associated with bad luck. The 13th floor is often skipped at hotels, along with the gate 13 at airports.

— The bad luck association may be biblical, given that the 13th guest at the Last Supper betrayed Jesus. His crucifixion was the next day, apparently a Friday.

Or maybe 13 suffers from coming after the more-pleasing number 12, which gets to number the months, the days of Christmas and even the eggs in a dozen. (There are also 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 tribes of Israel and 12 apostles of Jesus.)

Either way, Friday the 13th is big business. The Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, N.C. offers therapy to help people overcome their fear of the freaky friday. And there is The Friggatriskaidekaphobia Treatment Center, which is an entertaining way to cure fear of superstitious behaviors.

I don’t think I am that superstitious that I need any sort of therapuetical help.