Annual Friday 13th Dinner
Fighting Superstitions With Fine Dining
Written records of this event held in the 1860s and 1880s exist, as do a few much-publicised photographs of a dinner held at the Eccentric Club on Friday, November 13th, 1936.
Once upon a time, there was even an independent Thirteen Club in London in the 19th century.
And, of course, there were its American variations.
Almost ritualistic similarities were present in these clubs on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean: initiating and counting their members in 'thirteens,' arranging the dining tables in such a manner that 13 guests were to dine at each, having a compulsory entrance to the club for everyone under an open ladder, while the open umbrellas surrounded the seats, figures of the black cats and crows, numbers 13, and the peacock feathers, and the tables featured spilt salt and crossed knives.
The club dinner was usually served in reverse order, starting with a word of goodbye and a toast and finishing with wishing everyone 'bon appetit.'
In Britain, a lot of the Thirteen Club members were not only scientists, teachers, and 'men of reason' but also magicians and entertainers, many of whom were members of the Eccentric Club.
So, by the 1930s, it merged with the Eccentric Club, which then had its splendid premises right in the heart of the London Clubland — in Ryder Street, St. James's.
The number of the original 'Thirteeners' was gradually dropping, but along with that, it became a regular custom at the Eccentric Club to hold a Friday 13th Dinner once a year. At this dinner, scientists would make speeches about cutting-edge discoveries, magicians and entertainers would perform for the members and guests, and everyone would challenge and defy the superstitions of the past.
So, look deep into your soul and see whether you are ready to dare to join such eccentric diners, face your irrational fears, walk under the Ladder of Fate, and smile into the face of Lady Luck?!..
More info: Friday13Dinner.co.uk