In a rare crossover of superstitious circumstances, September 2019’s full moon will happen to coincide with the most dreaded date on every calendar: Friday the 13th.
As to why Friday is perceived as an unlucky day, we have influences from ancient times. According to Christian beliefs, Jesus was crucified on a Friday. However, a possible literary source for the unluckiest day of the week may have to do with Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, in which the characters mention their aversion to traveling on a Friday.
In the essay “The Plan of the Canterbury Tales” by Dr. Michael Delahoyde, clinical professor of English at Washington State University, he noted the interest scholars have shown in the dating of fictional events.
The idea of “moon madness” also has been a reoccurring theme over the ages. One of the most common superstitions pertaining to the full moon actually involves its appearance on a Friday; in many European traditions, sleeping beneath a full moon on this day of the week is one way to transform into a werewolf.
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