If you are superstitious, this Friday could be one of those days you should stay in bed.

Not only are we faced with Friday the 13^th, but we are also going to be under a full moon!

If you like to tempt fate, then this Friday you may want to step on a crack, break a mirror, open an umbrella inside and let a black cat cross your path.

For those of you who like to ward off bad luck, you may want to pin a St. Christopher medal to your shorts, find a four-leaf clover, carry a horseshoe around all day, hang something green on the wall, find a penny and put it in your shoe, spill some salt over your shoulder, wear a rabbit’s foot and knock on every piece of wood you come across.

But if you make it through the 13^th, don’t breathe too easy yet - many people find that while nothing bad ever happens to them on the 13^th, they always run into trouble on the 14^th.

Many superstitions of modern day western civilization originated over 5000 years ago. For example, the Old Testament contains many things that occurred in 7's, 12's and 40's. Thus, these numbers were the lucky numbers of the day. As a result, because the number 13 came after the number 12, it was considered unlucky and associated with evil. When the bible referred to the 12 apostles of Christ, the 13^th member at the last supper was bad and the number 13 was even more renowned for its evil connotations.

We see examples of superstitious behaviour all around us every day. People invent their own rituals to create a desired result or to stave off an undesired result. The players on the Dupuis Auto Slo-Pitch team began wearing t-shirts instead of their regular uniform after losing two games in the playoffs. They won the game with this attire and decided to shed the uniform for good luck. The fact that they won the next five games convinced them that there was something to this good luck symbol. Some people bring their lucky dolls or ornaments to the bingo hall with them. Others wear a guardian angel to bring them good luck during the day.

Usually, superstitions can be self-perpetuating. People tend to look for anything that can support their belief in the superstition. Therefore, if you have a superstition about Friday the 13^th, you’re going to look for something bad to happen to you that day and you’re going to pay attention to it. Bad things happen on the 12^th and the 14^th, but that won’t count because it won’t reinforce any belief.

Regardless of what you read, it’s how you feel about Friday the 13^th and a full moon that really matters.