August 12-18, 2004

mixpicks

Down on Luck

Some superstitions seem harmless enough, but where do you draw the line? Start picking up pennies, walking around ladders, jumping over cracks in the sidewalk, and eventually you'll be moving on to heavier stuff — say, fearing death when a beetle climbs over your shoe, or basing major life decisions on your horoscope. It's a slippery slope afflicting our most gullible citizens. Luckily, the Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia, an educational organization that questions authority, revelation and tradition, takes your tall-tale phobia seriously. It'll be the first to assert the possibility of "charlatans taking advantage of people who don't feel confident enough in their own rational decision-making abilities," says the group's president, Margaret Downey. Its Anti-Superstition Carnival, held each year on Friday the 13th, attempts to give people more confidence by dispelling popular superstitions surrounding the infamous day. In addition to games such as "Pin the Tail on the Ass-trologer" and "Fracture the Fairy," there'll be a museum's worth of displays and literature, so you can read up on the ancient origins of your cat-avoidance problem. Costumed hosts will be on hand to help you face your fears. That means breaking a mirror and opening an umbrella (before you leave the house, not after). C'mon. You'll feel better afterward knock on wood.

Anti-Superstition Carnival, Fri., Aug. 13, 8 p.m., free, Philadelphia Ethical Society, 1906 Rittenhouse Square, 610-793-2737.

—Tami Fertig