Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th. It conjures up images of scantily clad camp counselors running from an axe wielding maniac in a hockey mask (though technically not till Part III). The Ch-ch-ch, and ha-ha-ha comes from the shadows. The campiness, the bad acting, the boobs! It's what makes the Friday the 13th series of movies so great. They're cinematic nightmares but I love them all. My favorites are Part III, IV, & V, but I'll watch anyone of them if they're on tv. I'm not a big fan of the Freedy vs. Jason crossover but I'll still sit through it. These movies are near and dear to me, and I'm pretty sure it was the first time I saw boobs. I was hooked ever since.

But why the date Friday the 13th? Because it's an unlucky day? But why? Jason killed on more than just Friday the 13th. So where did this superstition come from. Well a quick Google search can give you the answer. Though I learned this back in high school (Catholic hich school) when they still taught actual history to kids. So why is Friday the 13th unlucky? Here's your answer:

The arrest of the Knights of Templar, on Friday, October 13, 1307, is one of the most durable theories. The legend goes that before dawn on that day, King Phillip IV of France ordered the last grand master of the Templars, Jacques de Molay, to be arrested, along with other members of the order. “Dieu n’est pas content, nous avons des ennemis de la foi dans le Royaume,” read the arrest warrant from the King, which translates to “God is not pleased. We have enemies of the faith in the kingdom.”

The Knights Templar — a medieval, religious order that protected Christians and defended the Kingdom of Jerusalem during the Crusades — were charged with various crimes considered heinous for the time, like spitting on the cross and homosexuality. In actual fact, following the Crusades the Templars had gained some serious financial power, as Christians donated money and land to the order. When King Philip IV began having money troubles in the 14th century, he decided to seize the assets of the Templars, using the excuse that the order were all heretics.

As King Phillip IV arrested Templars across Europe and seized their assets, the Pope disbanded the order. - Inverse.com

There you have it. It's that easy. Well not really. From that point on the superstition grew and took on a life of it's own. Eventually the Knights Templar story (to most) was forgotten and a new, scarier version of the superstition came about and the unlucky Friday the 13th was born.

Eventually Jason Voorhees came into play. Let's face it, dying at summer camp IS unlucky, so I can see the connection. Those that know me know Jason is my favorite "slasher movie" star ever. All the others are copycats. He was the original, though technically his mother did all the killings in the first movie. Then he wore the sack over his head in Part II and some of Part III until he found the now iconic hockey mask. I have several, yes I'm that nerdy about the movies. And if you've been to Mardi Gras in the past eight years, you'd have seen me in them, walking down Bourbon Street making the crowds part like the Red Sea to let me walk through wielding my (plastic) axe or machete. I'll be there again in 2018, stop and say hi, grab a picture, and some Gus O'Neil Mardi Gras goodies. And as always, because I know some will ask, I will not kill your wife or husband because after all, it is Mardi Gras and nobody goes to work on Mardi Gras!

Ch-ch-ch...Ha-ha-Happy Friday the 13th. ~ Gus