Friggatriskaidekaphobia

Beware the Ides of March, sure; but have no fear that Friday the 13th is here (there will be 3 such days during this apocalyptic year).  It's a relatively new superstition.  And in fact, in Spanish speaking countries, one would be wary of Tuesday the 13ths.   Our un-holiday was popularized by a 1907 Thomas Lawson book that told of a stock market panic on a similar day.  The superstition is actually a combination of a fear of Friday's (Frigga was a Norse god of marriage of whom Friday was named after; the Crucification was held on a Friday) and a fear of 13 (such a number of diners at a single table would lead to the death of one, according to The Last Supper and a similar Norse myth involving Loki and a mistletoe spear).  But, we have come to be thankful for Friday's (and their yummy Mexican pizza) and yours truly was born on a 13th, albeit a Tuesday (and thankfully, not in a Spanish speaking country)...so, how bad could it be.