Re: Why not 13 months? (Was La Systeme Metrique)
Isolde (isolde@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu)
12 Jul 1995 06:44:19 GMT
In article <3tvhgi$945@shore.shore.net>, Whittet@shore.net (Whittet) wrote:
> In article <3tvb40$3pu@apakabar.cc.columbia.edu>,
xuelei@cuphy3.phys.columbia.edu says...
> >In Chinese traditional calender, in some years there are 13 months.
>
> I wonder if thats why when the calender was reformed to 12 months
> suddenly the number 13 became unlucky?
Well, I'm sure that there are historical records documenting the reasons
for the 13 -> 12-month calendar change. Such records might answer your
question. However, as far as thirteen being an unlucky number, you may be
interested to know that it originally was lucky--sacred, in fact--to the
Norse goddesss Freyja, hence Friday the 13th was a day especially sacred
to Freyja b/c Friday is her day (as Tuesday Tyr's day, Thursday Thor's
day, etc.) and thirteen her number. The day was originally desecrated by
Christian clergy who were rather unnerved by her popularity and
unabashedly strong femininity. In modern times, the media has further
obfuscated the associations with Friday the thirteenth by assigning it
absolutely evil connotations, cf. the Friday the 13th movies.
I'm no astrologer or astronomer, but I like the 13 month calendar made of
28-day months--moon-ly months, mind you, not political ones! The
arbitrary and political basis for our monthly system has no business in
the reckoning the natural year!!!
Isolde
--
isolde@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu
Failure is not an option.
--from the movie Apollo 13
Once a Viking, always a Viking!
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