13-04-2012

Guest post Dakota Banks + Giveaway!

Today I welcome Dakota Banks to the blog and today she will be talking about Friday the 13th, because you know it's Friday the 13th so read the post, don't forget to enter the great giveaway at the end and go and hide under covers again. Or if your just like me an owner of a black cat leave the house!

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First, I’d like to thank Kim for letting me visit. It’s a pleasure to be here!

You’re reading this on Friday the 13th, a day when superstition causes people to put off travel plans, skip attending events, and not start any new projects. If you’re one of them, you have a lot of company. Approximately 20 million Americans take this unlucky day seriously to some degree, from mild (not getting on an airplane with flight #1313) to staying home in bed under the covers all day. I’d like to stay in bed under the covers, but it won’t be because I’m worried about the day of the month. 


Superstitions are beliefs that one event leads to another with no explanation in the physical world. Superstitions originate when people observe patterns, usually connected with ominous events like bad luck, sickness, or death—in other words, times of high emotional response. There is a superstition that if the first butterfly you see in the spring is white, you will have good luck all year. (I’m doomed—mine was yellow.) This might have come about when someone, somewhere in the past saw a white butterfly, and 3 other people in the village all did too, and they all had good luck that year. This mattered a great deal when “good luck” meant survival in a harsh world and people grasped at anything that would give them a clue to their uncertain futures. Take another one: When you shiver, someone’s walking on your grave. This means that someone is walking over your future grave when you get a chill that comes from nowhere, even on a warm day. Creepy! Now when we get a cold or the flu we can go to the doctor to get treated, but long ago, having a shiver (fever) was a serious thing that sometimes led to death. So the connection was shiver à illness à death à someone’s going to be walking on your grave, and soon. It’s an interesting superstition because we know there is a physical explanation here (bacteria or viruses), but the people who created this saying weren’t that clear on the connection. To them, there was no explanation in their physical world.
There are three Friday the 13th days this year, January 13th, today (two down!) and July 13th. That’s the maximum number of times the day can happen in a year. Next year, there are two instances of Friday the 13th –in 2013!) The superstition of bad luck gets a double whammy from being on a Friday and from involving the number 13. There are a number of references in the Bible to bad things happening on a Friday, from Adam taking the fateful bite of the apple to the crucifixion of Christ. In pagan religions, Friday was a day of celebration, ominously called the Witches’ Sabbath. Friday was Hangman’s Day in Britain. My favorite story about the ill portent of Friday is this, from Urban Legends:

One hundred years ago, the British government sought to quell the longstanding superstition among seamen that setting sail on Fridays was unlucky. A special ship was commissioned and given the name "H.M.S. Friday." They laid her keel on a Friday, launched her on a Friday, selected her crew on a Friday, and hired a man named Jim Friday to be her captain. To top it off, H.M.S. Friday embarked on her maiden voyage on a Friday—and was never seen or heard from again.

Then we come to the number 13. It’s unknown why the number is considered unlucky, but there are a lot of possibilities. In ancient Greece, there were 12 gods. Alexander the Great thought highly of himself and declared that he was the 13th god. He built a statue of himself and had it added to the other 12. He sickened and died shortly after. The 13th Tarot card is Death. In long ago days when goddess-worshipping societies were common, the lunar calendar of 13 months (menstrual cycles) was in effect. Later on, in a move that should have alerted us at the time, men installed a 12 month solar calendar, claiming that the number 13 was associated with witches. And it was; a witches’ coven always has 13 members. There were 13 guests at the Last Supper, Judas being the 13th. Another superstition, that the 13th guest at a dinner will soon die, is taken so seriously in some places of the world that there are groups of volunteers who have signed up to become the 14th guest on very short notice.
Follow the Mortal Path with Maliha.
It’s the adventure of several lifetimes.

I’m not superstitious. Not even the slightest. But here’s a quote from someone who is:
“When I’m reading, I will not stop on page 94, page 193, page 382, et al. The digits of those numbers add up to thirteen.” – Stephen King
If a famous horror writer feels this way maybe there’s something to be said for that appointment at home under the covers. Stay safe out there, friends.



Want to learn more about Dakota Banks?
Go to her Website or visit her Blog
You can also find her over at: Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads




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Giveaway

Dakota Banks is giving away an awesome Mortal path swag bag, consisting of a tote bag, 3 signed books, pens, bookmarks, magnets, and a calculator. This giveaway is international.


Please do not forget to check my giveaway policy before entering.

This is the first time I'm using rafflecopter so if it doesn't work let me know!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

45 opmerkingen:

  1. I prefer to see the oppositive end of this and i'm telling myself it will be a lucky day

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  2. Lol, I am just a bit superstitious about Friday the 13th. Today, I had a big scare when my blog had suddenly disappeared, then my keyboard died on me. So I'll be staying home today, reading :)

    Thanks for another chance to win Dakota! And thanks for the amusing blogpost.

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  3. No, not one bit. I just love all the horror movies/shows that come out on this day. It's pretty awesome!

    Mary

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  4. I am not superstitious about Friday the 13th. I love the number 13 and Friday the 13's just make me want to watch all the old movies, lol. Thank you for the chance to win this great prize pack. I have these books on my wishlist.
    June
    manning_j2004 at yahoo dot com

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  5. superstitious.. well.. yeah, sometimes. but not about friday the 13th :))

    smile_1773@yahoo.com

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  6. Like Sienny, sometimes I'm superstitious (when strange things continue to occur on the same day).
    Thank you for the interesting post and giveaway! :D

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  7. I'm not superstitious at all.

    A good question though.

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  8. I'm not really superstitious. I might do stuff that appear superstitious, like I always have to use my own pen, and not someone else's, but that's more an OCD trait. When it comes to Friday the 13th, nothing bad ever happened to me.

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  9. I pretend that I'm not, but secretly, when no one is looking, I through spilled salt over my shoulder, salute a single magpie, and avoid breaking a mirror at all costs - but shhh! It's a secret :-)

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  10. I am just a bit superstitious hahaha

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  11. i don't really think of myself as superstitious.

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  12. Like there being no 13th floor in some hotels..skip from 12 right to 14!!! I am somewhat superstitious. I haven't had anything bad happen on a Friday the 13th (knock on wood)
    Thanks Dakota and Kim for the great giveaway!!!!

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  13. Yes I am in a moderate way: meaning that I usually believe in all the positive superstition and noone of the bad ones :-D lol

    In my family 13th has always been a lucky number: my dad and sister (as well as my little goddaughter) were both born on the 13th, I passed all my exams I took on Friday the 13th with great results, so I don't fear that number :-)

    And I always knock on wood, make a wish when the digital clock shows the same numbers (e.g. 21:21) until the minute passes :-)

    Thank you for the fantastic giveaway Dakota!

    Stella

    stella.exlibris (at) gmail (dot) com

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  14. Not superstitious but I do have quirks when it comes to numbers...like that the tv volume has to end in a 5 or a 0 or that I have to divide my skittles into colours and eat them in a particular order. Though that doesn't really count as superstition does it?

    Vikki

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  15. I'm superstitious about certain things--like only drawing circles clockwise and sometimes knocking on wood. I'd actually love to know where that particular superstition started and why. Anyways, thank you for the giveaway and have a lovely week!
    adgrinstead@gmail.com

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  16. I wouldn't say i am superstitious. Although i have to admit, black cats freak me out a little :) Thank you for the giveaway! :D
    roxy_rules@live.com

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  17. I'm not superstitious. I don't care about those superstitions, even though my mother would sometimes remind me of those things. It's more like "Yeah, things happen for a reason." We don't need to freak out all the times whenever we encounter such bad things. I always look at the positive side. :) - Flord Naezel

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  18. gotta admit a little bit -- no breaking mirrors around here and knocking on wood is a mainstay :)

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  19. Yep, I'm super superstitious. Haha, if I suddenly enter a really dark room or see anything outside my window at night, I'll get so scared I'll back away immediately. :P

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  20. Knocking on wood is a very old superstition and is found in some form in many cultures around the world. No one knows the exact origin, but the most common explanation is this. In early forms of animist religions and mythology, powerful gods called dryads lived in trees.

    People would go to trees (especially the ones they considered most powerful or that liked them the most) and knock on the tree (knock on wood) to awaken the sleeping spirit inside. Dryads spent a great deal of time sleeping, it seems. Once awakened, the dryad could be asked for a blessing or a favor to prevent bad luck. So when you knock on that wooden table, you're asking for protection by the spirit of the tree from which it was made! Somehow I think it would be better to go outside and knock on a tree directly. The dryad(s) left in the sliced boards of furniture might not be feeling generous. :-)

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  21. Im very superstitious!! I knock on wood, throw salt over my shoulder and never walk under ladders!!

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  22. I don't want to be superstitious but I do find myself avoiding walking under ladders and knocking on wood if I feel like I'm saying something that tempts fate. I also wish upon the first star I see on a clear night - you know, just in case! :)

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  23. Yes I am a little especially the knock on wood.

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  24. Not really superstitious much.

    Since I first got cats as an adult, I have always had one black one. Reminds me of my grandmothers who curled up with me in the summers when visiting. They love to cuddle and I think that's where the superstition about a cat stealing the babies breath away comes from. Sometimes my cats like to sleep on my chest.

    Thanks for the giveaway.

    Just curious - why is the GFC, comment box instructions, submit button, etc in Dutch?

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    Reacties
    1. I have no idea why it is in Dutch! I think it's new. I changed my settings in my dashboard to English so I hope GFC is back to English now too.

      But thanks for letting me know!

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  25. not in the least and it doesn't really make sense to me.

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  26. Well...I don't really consider myself superstitious. However, I have been known to knock on wood, throw salt over my shoulder, make sure I don't walk under any ladders...and take extra care not to break any mirrors. Hum...perhaps I am a LITTLE superstitious after all LOL! :)

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  27. Thirteen is how old a young man has to be to have his Bar Mitzva and be counted as an adult in Temple. So it could go either way. LOL

    I guess I'd have to say, if it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all.

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  28. I'm not really superstitious. It bothers me when someone walks under a ladder, but that's it.

    molly(dot)frenzel(at)gmail(dot)com

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  29. I am with you, not superstitious. But I find it interesting when someone is, and to see the interesting things they go around to avoid what they consider bad luck. Love the story about HMS Friday though! Creepy!

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  30. Generally I'm not superstitious. But I won't walk under a ladder it just isn't safe.

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  31. I am not really superstitious, but I don't tend to do things that are said to be bad luck - why chance it. I alway throw a little salt over my shoulder when I am cooking (good luck). lol

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  32. A little bit I think. Just on small items.

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  33. i think i am, on certain things... knock on wood yes... black cats, nope!!

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  34. Hi! Thanks for this giveaway and yes I am superstitious but only on a few things like Friday 13th and everything around that number! I believe in things for chance like lucky 7 and things about the phase of the moon! LOL

    Proserpine @ Proserpine Craving Books

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  35. Its not letting me paste in the tweet. It says function disabled. I entered as Natalie Cleary and heres the tweet link. https://twitter.com/#!/natcleary/status/195179223617511424

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  36. I can be a little bit but nothing major.

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  37. I am somewhat superstitious, mostly about bad feelings/omens.

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  38. Not at all superstitous!

    Wendy/books4me

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  39. dang, yes I am superstitious :)

    Thank you for hosting this giveaway

    Louis
    pumuckler {at} gmail {dot} com

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  40. yes I am supersticious not for everything thou, Fri 13th no problem for me,

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  41. yes I am superstitious

    Dina

    dlsmilad at yahoo dot com

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