13

Good (woof) Morning on Friday the 13^th.

Here are some friendly words of advice:

Never open a black umbrella in the house. Black is the color of unlucky-ness. However, I have learned that opening a pink, orange, or tabby colored umbrella inside a dwelling to cause not bad luck to fall upon the owner. However, three days after the fact they surfaced covered with tiny scratches and sheets of strange colored fabric.

Yawning, although often considered cute by humans when pets yawn is also considered bad luck. In the olden days, when humans wore less suits and built things out of stone, there was a lot of fear by us dogs about silly things. Our life spans were shorter, and strange things could happen. An innocent yawn could bring about the devil, or in worst scenarios, lead to a deep peaceful slumber, and the humans may assume we died and bury us. We had to be very alert, and often found secret places to hide to take our naps. It was popular for those places to be up and out of the way, such as the roofs of thatched buildings.

Knives and forks, although usually not used by dogs (except  us proper ones) should never be crossed. This invites bad luck to the dinner table (dessert may not be served) and is the symbol for difficult times ahead.

This next superstition goes back a ways. In biblical times, numbers were of great significance. The number 12 for example, is used often in the bible, 12 disciples, 12 tribes, etc. The number 13 is seldom mentioned, but is present if one looks carefully. For example, at the last supper, there were 13 people, 12 disciples, and of course, Jesus. Jesus was betrayed by Judas, the 13^th guest at his table. Where humans get all this from I don’t imagine, but this simple fact has turned into a superstition that the first to rise from the table will die. Some humans even extend this to a room, where the first to leave the room will die within a year.

Speaking of leaving, that date you planned with that gorgeous cocker spaniel this Friday? Cancel it. According to the English, any date planned on a Friday is doomed. Wait till Saturday. Then you have the whole day!

You should know, if you haven’t been hiding for 10 years, that breaking a mirror is bad luck. This brings all sorts of bad things to your door; a new mirror, new tile for the bathroom, renovation, all kinds of terrible things. :P However, one should never look in a mirror is one is sick or dying. You may see death itself staring back at you. Or the grim, the giant spectral dog which haunts graveyards. Me? I was under the weather and I took a peek in the mirror, and I saw a great shaggy dog! Ack!

Lastly, black cats! Their cuddly, fluffy, and very good at poker. J On the whole, they are actually good luck to have around. So where did this superstition originate from? Witches used to have black cats, who were versed in that sort of thing. So crossing one could result in a spell or hex being placed upon oneself. I wouldn’t worry too much, black cats can be easily pacified with a warm bowl of milk. And hey, the same can be said for dragons.

Time for a new word: if you fear Friday the 13^th, you can proudly label yourself as a friggatriskaidekaphobic. Alternatively, if you cannot pronounce friggatriskaidekaphobic, then try paraskevidekatriaphobia