Afraid to go out of the house this Friday?  You're not alone, many people suffer from paraskevidekatriaphobia, a morbid, irrational fear of Friday the 13th.  Others are affected by triskaidekaphobia, the fear of 13.

The belief that Friday the 13th is an unlucky day is derived from two long-standing superstitions, the fear of the number 13 and a negative association with Friday itself. The two superstitions are part of a long and fragmented history making it difficult to pinpoint their origin. The unlucky 13 seems to have ancient origins giving room for plenty of speculation as to why the number came to be considered unlucky.  Some theories argue that there are mathematical reasons for the fear of 13 while others believe that 13 came to be associated with unlucky events.  Whatever the reasons, it is clear that 13 shows up time and time again as the object upon which people have historically projected fear and uncertainty.  One of the first texts to reflect this view is Work and Days, written in 700 B.C.E. by the Greek poet Hesiod. In this text, Hesiod mentions the 13th day of the month as an unlucky day for sowing seeds.  Unlucky 13 is incorporated in the story of the Last Supper at which Judas was the 13th guest. 

Negativity towards Fridays can be traced as far back as the 16th century in western literature.  The term "friday-faced," meaning sad-looking, and "friday-look," meaning a solemn look, surfaced as early as the late 1500s in Greenes Groatsworth of Witte: "The Foxe made a Fridayface, counterfeiting sorrow."²  The expression was used again in 1681 by William Robertson who wrote, "What makes you look so sad, and moodily? with such a Friday face" in the Phraseologia Generalis. Early in the next century William Rowley spoke of a "plague of Friday mornings!" in Match of Midnight.³  Why there's a negative association with Friday is subject to speculation.   It's unclear when the bad luck of 13 and supertitions of Friday coincided.  One historic event is often cited.  On Friday 13, 1307, members of the Knights of Templar were arrested and their leader was killed.  It came to be recognized as an unlucky date in the calendar.  However, according to Nathaniel Lachenmeyer, Friday the 13th didn't show up in lists of unlucky days until the 20th century.⁴ 

I hope this cursory history gives you just a taste of the superstitions surrounding this auspicious date.  If you're interested in learning more about the theories of the origin of Friday the 13th, check out 13: The Story of the World's Most Popular Superstition by Lachenmeyer.  It's located in the Lincoln Park Stacks at 133.3359 L137t 2004.  

1)  Lachenmeyer, Nathaniel. "The Origins of Unlucky 13." 13: the Story of the World's Most Popular Superstition. Thunder Mouth's Press: New York, 2004.

2) "Friday." Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press, 2008.

3)  Ibid.

3) Lachenmeyer, Nathaniel. "The Rise of 13." 13: the Story of the World's Most Popular Superstition. Thunder Mouth's Press: New York, 2004.

Since 1990, November has been designated Native American Heritage Month to honor Native American traditions, communities and contributions. The theme for this year's heritage month is "Pride in Our Heritage. Honor to Our Ancestors."

Events happening in Chicago:

American Indian Center's 56th Annual Chicago Powwow 

November 7-8, 2009

UIC Pavilion ( University of Illinois, Chicago campus)
1150 W. Harrison Street, Chicago, IL

Doors open at 12 noon on Saturday, 10am on Sunday
Grand Entry (Dancing) starts at 1pm and 7pm Saturday
Admission $12 Adults, $6 Children (6-12) and Seniors 55+
Student/Groups receive a $2 discount, $18 for a weekend pass

American Indians in Chicago: Our Legacies, Our Communities

November 5, 2009, 7:00 pm

Scott Stevens, Director of the Newberry Library's D'Arcy McNickle Center for American Indian History, is the guest speaker.

Sulzer Regional
4455 N. Lincoln Avenue
60625


 

Halloween is fast approaching. Have you picked out a costume yet?  If you need a little inspiration to get into the Halloween spirit, stop by our book cover display in the John T. Richardson Library hallway. We've highlighted some of our especially spooky book jackets for your viewing pleasure.  Here are just a few of the choice picks.     

Although Christopher Columbus set out to discover a western ocean route to Asia in 1492, he instead stumbled across the Americas and sparked an era of exploration in the "New World". Columbus Day is now observed as a public holiday throughout the Americas and in many Spanish-speaking countries. In honor of the 400th anniversary of the historic voyage, Chicago hosted the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893, and in 1937 President Roosevelt proclaimed October 12th as "Columbus Day". Of course, much controversy surrounds this holiday, especially related to Columbus' treatment of indigenous people. In fact, Columbus was eventually accused of mismanagement in the New World and ordered back to Spain.

We have plenty of resources to help you learn more about the Age of Exploration; use the library catalog to search for books about exploration in the Americas, first encounters between Native Americans and Europeans, and other related topics. And use our History research guide to find databases like America: History and Life.

DePaul University Libraries are open as usual on Columbus Day.

photo: Images of Christopher Columbus and His Voyages: Selection from the Collections of the Library of Congress

Memorial Day is much more than a three-day weekend that marks the beginning of summer. To many people – especially the nation's thousands of combat veterans – this is a day to honor the memory of those who died in service to their country. To read more about this national holiday and its history stretching back to the Civil War, click here.

All DePaul Libraries will maintain normal hours on Saturday and Sunday; Only the Lincoln Park Campus Library will be open on Monday from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.  

The idea of setting aside one day each year to honor mothers was the suggestion of Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia.  On May 12, 1907 Anne held a memorial service for her late mother in Grafton, West Virginia.  She asked those in attendance to wear white carnations to celebrate her mother.  The observance sparked a trend across the nation and within 5 years nearly every state participated in the May celebration.  On May 9, 1914 President Woodrow Wilson declared Mother's Day a national holiday.  

Mother's Day is now celebrated in the United States on the 2nd Sunday in May.  Popular convention suggests wearing pink and red carnations to pay tribute to living mothers and a white carnation in rememberance of a mother who has died.

"Mother's Day." Entry 1236. Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations of the World Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1997. 211.

"Mother's Day." The Folklore of American Holidays. 2nd ed. 1991. 280-281.

The term ides (idus in Latin) comes from the earliest Roman calendar and simply means the middle of the month.

For the Roman ruler Julius Caesar, the ides of any month would have been just another day. Only because of Shakespeare's tragedy, Julius Caesar, have the Ides of March in particular become inextricably linked with a sense of doom. In Act I, Scene 2, a fortune teller warns the dictator to beware the approaching ides. Too proud and arrogant, he fails to heed the warning. (Click to view a one minute video clip from the play.)

History records that Caesar was assassinated on March 15th (the Ides of March) in the year 44 BC as depicted in this painting by Vincenzo Camuccini:

Sources:

Brunner, Borgna. "The Ides of March". Infoplease. Retrieved March 10, 2009, from http://www.infoplease.com/spot/ides1.html.

Theatre in Video is a database containing more than 250 definitive performances of the world's leading plays, including the BBC's Shakespeare series, in streaming video.

Illinois celebrates Casimir Pulaski Day on the first Monday of March but it was not always popular to support this Polish-born American Revolutionary War hero.  In 1933, Mayor Edward Kelly sought to rename Crawford Avenue after Pulaski to gain favor with the vast Polish population in Chicago.  Business owners in this bustling business district around Madison and Crawford objected out of what Pulaski proponents deemed Anti-Polish sentiment.  The business owners obtained a temporary injunction against the name change but in April 1935, the Illinois Supreme Court upheld the city council's right to create new street names.¹ 

In June of 1977, the Illinois General Assembly passed Public Act 80-621, which called to make Casimir Pulaski's birthday a holiday. The bill, introduced by Senator Lemke, was approved in September of 1977 and states that the first Monday in March will be observed as Pulaski day.  A federal holiday has been established to commemorate the anniversary of Pulaski's death.  Oct. 11 has been declared General Pulaski Memorial Day to honor the decorated war hero. Another federal honor was bestowed on Pulaski in 2007 when legislation was sponsored to declare Pulaski an honorary citizen of the United States. The Resolution S.J.RES.5 to declare Pulaski an honorary citizen passed the United States Senate by unanimous consent.   

Wondering how a Polish soldier ended up as an American Revolutionary War Hero? In Poland, the young Pulaski fought for the sovereignty of his native Poland and distinguished himself in battle in the Anti-Russian insurrection of 1768.  He tried and failed to kidnap King Stanislaw II and was falsely accused of attempting to murder the king.  After the Prussian and Austrian invasion of Poland in 1772, Pulaski fled to Saxony and then France where, in December 1776, he met the American diplomat to France, Benjamin Franklin, who urged General George Washington to accept Pulaski as a volunteer in the American Calvary.  In 1776, Pulaski came to America where he fought against the British in Brandywine.  He was appointed General and Chief of Calvary by the Continental Congress and fought at Germantown and in the winter campaign of 1777–78.  In 1770, he was victorious at Charleston but died of complications from wounds inflicted in battle en route to Savannah, Georgia, where a monument has been erected in his honor.²  He is remembered as a Polish freedom fighter and Revolutionary War Hero and is revered as a hero in Polish communities. 

For more information on Pulaski or the Polish community in Chicago check out the following sources:

• Granacki, Victoria. Chicago's Polish Downtown. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2004.

Lincoln Park Reference, Chicago Collection

R. 977 .311 G748c2004

• Poles of Chicago, 1837-1937; a history of one century of Polish contribution to the city of Chicago, Illinois.

Lincoln Park Reference, Chicago Collection

R. 325. 2438 P765p1937

• Axelrod, Allen. The Real History of the American Revolution: A New Look at the Past. New York: Sterling, 2008.

Lincoln Park Stacks

973.3 A969 R2007

The university invites you to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday at the annual Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Prayer Breakfast.  To register for the event, click here. 

Want to learn more about Dr. King?  Make sure to check out our African-American Studies History Guide for a list of African-American history resources including links to historical black newspapers, African-American history encyclopedias and online databases dedicated to African-American history.    

Come in and celebrate Dr. King's birthday with us; the library will be open normal hours (8am-12am) on Monday January 18.

  *Associated Press. "Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Addresses a Crowd in New York City on April 15, 1967."