Caepio the Consul were slain and their whole army annihilated in Gallia
Narbonensis by the Cimbrians. It was considered a very unlucky day in
Spain and Italy; it is still deemed an ill-starred day among the
Buddhists and Brahmins. The reason given by Christians for its ill-luck
is, of course, because it was the day of Christ's crucifixion, though
one would hardly term that an "unlucky event" for Christians. A Friday
moon is considered unlucky for weather. It is the Mohammedan Sabbath and
was the day on which Adam was created. The Sabeans consecrated it to
Venus or Astarte. According to mediaeval romance, on this day fairies
and all the tribes of elves of every description were converted into
hideous animals and remained so until Monday. In Scotland it is a great
day for weddings. In England it is not. Sir William Churchill says,
"Friday is my lucky day. I was born, christened, married, and knighted
on that day, and all my best accidents have befallen me on a Friday."
Aurungzebe considered Friday a lucky day and used to say in prayer, "Oh,
that I may die on a Friday, for blessed is he that dies on that day."
British popular saying terms a trial, misfortune, or cross a "Friday
tree," from the "accursed tree" on which the Savior was crucified on
that day. Stow, the historian of London, states that "Friday Street" was
so called because it was the street of fish merchants who served the
Friday markets. In the Roman Catholic church Friday is a fast day, and
is considered an unlucky day because it was the day of Christ's
crucifixion. Soames ("Anglo-Saxon Church," page 255) says of it, "Adam
and Eve ate the forbidden fruit on Friday and died on Friday." Shakspere
refers to the ill-omened nature of the day as follows: "The duke, I say
to thee again, would eat mutton Friday" ("Measure for Measure," Act 3,
Scene 2).

But to turn to the more pleasing side, great has been the good fortune
of the land of freedom on this ill-starred day. On Friday, August 3,
1492, Christopher Columbus set sail from the port of Palos on his great
voyage of discovery. On Friday, October 12, 1492, he discovered land; on
Friday, January 4, 1493, he sailed on his return voyage to Spain. On
Friday, March 14, 1493, he arrived at Palos, Spain, in safety. On
Friday, November 22, 1493, he arrived at Espanola on his second voyage
to America. On Friday, June 12, 1494, he discovered the mainland of
America. On Friday, March 5, 1496, Henry VIII. gave John Cabot hi