JANUARY 13, 1961
Bad Luck Today, Anyone? Yes, It's Friday the 13th
Sinners and superstitious people beware. "Lucky" horse shoe owners rejoice. And people everywhere, warn the world that to walk under a ladder or to make any other kind of mistake against superstition will result in sure misfortune, for a black, black day is upon us. Yes, Friday the 13 is here once more.
This famous date for bad luck started many centuries ago when the New World began. Friday has long been regarded as an unlucky day for various reasons. Folklore has long told of how Eve gave Adam the forbidden apple in the Garden of Eden on a Friday. And, of course, the fact that Christ died on a Friday has helped to establish the belief of misfortune for this fifth day of the week.
Superstitions Vary
Thirteen has long been considered unlucky for countless reasons, both religious and traditional. However, the average person has no real worry today, because if he will only obey the warnings of several million superstitions, he will receive no more than the usual amount of bad luck.
Besides the usual and well known superstitions about ladders, spilt salt, and open umbrellas inside, there are countless other beliefs concerning topics that may well be considered unique, if not at least a little bit crazy.
For instance, don't, on this day of all days, make plumjeck pudding in a stone bowl. If you are careless, and happen to make your plumjeck in a stone bowl, a terrible fire will destroy your home in several days.
Beware Water
Another interesting supersti-tion is one concerning water and, of all things, window sills. If you should happen to spill water on your window sill today, you will be penniless in six weeks. That's an expensive way to make ice.
Interested in finding out the name of the person you are going to marry? Today is the day. Simply take one eirack's egg, break it, pour the white into your mouth, and run outside. Don't swallow the eirack egg white, but let it gush around in your mouth until you hear a man mentioned. That name will belong to the person whom you will some day wed.
People do odd things on Fri-day the 13. One author reports that a certain man in Los Angeles glues an English ha'penny over his navel every Friday the 13. This is supposed to keep him from being run over by a truck. I think that perhaps this man's mother stared too long at a mandrake. (Staring at a mandrake is supposed to place idiocy and flat feet on one's offspring.)
Another curious superstition about Friday the 13 is the practice of picking up every pebble that lies in your path on this day. Never, never should you step over any stone, no matter how small on Friday the 13. However if you should be stranded in the middle of a crushed stone driveway when you hear of this superstition and as a result of all the pebble moving you must do you should get a kinked back and a lawsuit from the driveway's owner, don't blame me. Can I help it if MY mother stared at a mandrake too long?