My morning coffee went down the wrong throat when I noticed the date.
The entire fifty-kilometer car journey to work was spent wondering and fearing what would happen today. At the same time, a long line of other drivers gathered behind me as I drove safely and avoiding an accident at eighty. The summer restrictions had already changed.
Is it really an unlucky day?
According to some studies, it is safer than other Fridays. There are fewer reported crashes and accidents than on a regular Friday. However, there are more reported car thefts then. So it's worth driving around as a traffic jam. It's rare for a car to be stolen directly from the road.
Either way, many people fear that date. It seems like it will always be taken into account.
The preparation for the grande misadventure can begin no later than when the first day of the month is a Sunday. That is, Friday the 13th. Every year, the unlucky day arrives at least once and can happen a maximum of three times.
However, it is likely that quite a few Finnish men (and women) remember the last time they experienced a Friday the 13th as anything other than bad luck. When it last happened on May 13, 2011, a completely new concept was launched for Finns;
AIR CRANK!
Granlund had every chance to fail in his incredible attempt right up until the date, but that's how it went until the finals with the known consequences.
This unlucky date was originally created by combining two superstitious beliefs: Friday is an unlucky day and 13 is an unlucky number.
Can we now draw the conclusion that all the remaining 362 - 364 days of the year are lucky days?
Let's at least hope so, just because of the success of the Finnish World Championship team.
There has to be one exception to this. The French. In France, the day in question is not considered a bad luck day and it's just the same. They don't know anything about air currents and even the Sun King brings to mind something other than the Sun King Oak to us Finns.
While writing this, the saying came to mind: 'Luck in misfortune.'
What else would you believe? I'll close myself off to ponder this matter, wearing a safety jacket, and I'll give my final blue-and-white statement about Finland winning the World Cup gold.
See you at the market.
-Petteri Tirkkonen-