Friday the 13th, omens and luck

Friday the 13th has elicited a lot of unnecessary fear over the years – it’s a day when we’re told to look out for omens of bad luck. Where did it all come from? To answer this, we have an extract from the comedy play, The Twilight Court in which an expert on omens, Mr. Damien O’Mannion is being questioned by both Counsel for Superstitions and (a slightly inebriated) Counsel for Common Sense. The piece shows us both the usefulness of paying attention to omens as well as lampooning some of the stranger omens out there.

The Twilight Court was a mock court trial under which superstition itself was on trial to be decided by the audience at the “court” on the evening of Friday 13th November 2009 in Carndonagh, County Donegal. The question being asked was “is there any room in a modern age for superstitions?” A number of common topics associated with superstitions and customs were examined with an “expert witness” such a seventh son of a seventh son being cross-examined by counsel.

Hear the full play here: http://www.ramblinghouse.ie/Episode_6.html

#Friday13th #13th #omens #luck #superstition