Today is Friday, August 13th. Yes, that means that today is Friday the thirteenth, one of the most superstitious days of the year. The origins of the superstition surrounding vary depending on who you ask but there are three origins to this myth that are all plausible and all equally affect UK residents directly today. Read on to see how night sky lanterns can help ward off all things bad today as you approach the day with new confidence.

Origin One: The Viking Origin

One of the most often cited origins of the Friday the thirteenth superstition has to do with Frigga, the Nordic Goddess that Friday is named after. She was a loving goddess and considered to be a witch but the theory goes that when her followers began ignoring her when Christianity came sweeping through the Scandinavian lands, even by force, she acted as any woman scorned would and began cursing those who ignored her. The myth says she would meet on Fridays with the devil and eleven witches, thirteen total leading to the Friday the thirteenth superstition. If this is why you worry about Friday the thirteenth superstition because of this, Chinese Hanging Lanterns can be sent up for Frigga, either with writing to ask for her to watch over you or simply in beautiful colours to appease her.

Origin Two: Christian Origin

The second origin of the Friday the thirteenth superstition comes from Christ’s last supper. According to this theory, there were thirteen people at the last supper and according to the theory, Jesus died on a Friday. While a bit of a stretch, considering the lack of documentation about the latter, it could explain the superstition to a certain degree. For those who believe in this version, a quick prayer and a sky lantern for good measure to help carry the prayer and ease one’s troubles could be the best way to prevent the superstition from causing problems.

Origin Three: Knights Templar Origin

The final suggested origin of the Friday the thirteenth myth comes from the Knights Templar. This monastic order was military in nature and was founded to protect pilgrims who were travelling to the crusades. After the crusades, they become very wealthy as well as powerful and it said that that they were arrested en mass on Friday the 13th of October, in 1307.

While possibly a modern invention, this theory persists as many people’s reason for finding Friday the thirteenth to be a day of bad omens. For these who find this theory to carry the most weight, floating lanterns can be launched to lament the end of the Knights Templar. Adorned with drawings of the order, they can be launched into the evening sky to ward off the bad that could be coming.

Sky Lanterns on Friday the 13th

Regardless of which origin you subscribe to, either these three or the many others which are out there, sky lanterns are a positive and environmentally friendly way to avoid the stress that Friday the thirteenth can cause. Check out www.Nightskylantern.co.uk’s selection of lanterns today.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 13th, 2010 at 7:31 AM and is filed under General News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.