Sharing superstitions

Made famous by movies, dreaded by the superstitious, passing unnoticed by others, Friday the 13th only comes around a few times a year. The Portales News-Tribune asked residents if they had any stories or superstitions to share.

Destini Trujillo, a pre-med student who works at Roosevelt General Hospital, had this to say about Friday the 13th:

“No I’m not very superstitious at all. I think everything happens for a reason.”

Anthony Moreno, a Portales resident shared a creepy story that happened to him on a Friday the 13th:

Moreno recounted that he was jogging in the early hours of the morning on South Avenue I and heard a cat that he said sounded like it was screaming. As he continued on his route, he again heard the cat screaming. As he was jogging by a house that set up on a hill, he again heard the cat screaming. It was as he passed the alleyway, that he saw a the outline of a body lying in the alley with the cat on top eating the body. He stopped, turned and went back to see what was wrong.

“Everything was gone, totally gone. I sprinted the rest of the way home,” Moreno said of his experience.

Dr. Matthew Foster, a doctor in the Emergency Room at Roosevelt General Hospital had a different perspective on Friday the 13th:

“It’s a prime number, like Friday the 7th or Friday the 11th,” he quipped.

Sam Rice, a 14-year-old Portales resident, was asked what he thinks about Friday the 13th and some of the superstitions that he has heard about:

“I believe in it and I don’t,” Rice said. “Like if you spill salt and you take a pinch and throw it over your shoulder. My friends believe if you walk under a ladder you will have bad luck.”

Robbin Zimmerman, a Clovis resident who works in Portales, shared an experience she had on Friday the 13th when she was little:

“Basically I did something bad, I didn’t listen to my parents. I woke in the middle of the night and saw the Devil’s head with the horns, It was laughing at me and telling me “I’m gonna come and get you if you don’t straighten up.” It scared me and gives me the chills to think about it, Zimmerman said.

At a glance

According to Wikipedia, any Friday occurring on the 13th day of the month is considered bad luck in English, Polish, German and Portuguese speaking countries. In Greece or Spain, Tuesday the 13th also takes on the same superstition. Many people believe that bad things can happen on a Friday the 13th, while others are not superstitious of the day at all.

Paraskavedekatriaphobia is derived from three Greek words that mean Friday, 13 and phobia, respectfully. Triskaidekaphobia is a specialized form that means a phobia or fear of the number 13.

Source: Wikipedia, the free encylopedia

— Compiled by Casey Peacock