By Ankana Dey Choudhury

Thirteen at a table is unlucky only when the hostess has only twelve chops." – Groucho Marx.

Remarkable as he was, the master comedian had his way to make people laugh even when it came to the much dreaded number 13. Now associate it with the word 'Friday' and voila! You shall see the expressions of utter fear and petrification setting in all around you. Statistics from the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute, North Carolina, show that nearly 21 million people in the United States are mortified by the fear of "Friday, the 13th". In fact, the statistics go on to reflect a gross loss of 800 to 900 million US dollars, recorded almost every year on that particular day, affecting all kinds of businesses. But before you freak out, relax! It's just another day-date combination.

However, I personally feel that this particular phenomenon, should be an interesting read as the mention of the phrase 'Friday, the 13th' itself triggers off curiosity. So much so that it had the potential to enrich the movie production house Paramount Pictures by a gross profit of 40 million US dollars in 1980, with the release of the movie Friday the 13th, thus giving birth to the iconic figure of Jason. Definitely, something that can influence commerce to such an extent, should be explored.

The evil eye is the name for a sickness transmitted - usually without intention - by someone who is envious, jealous, or covetous. It is also called the invidious eye and the envious eye. In Hebrew it is ayin ha'ra (the evil eye), which in Yiddish is variously spelled ayin horoh, ayin hora, or ayen hara. In mainland Italian it is mal occhio (the bad eye) and in Spanish mal ojo or el ojo (the bad eye or just the eye). In Sicily it is jettatore (the projection [from the eye]) and in Farsi it is bla band (the eye of evil).