Friday the 13th has long been associated with bad luck as seen by the plethora of literature and horror movies as well as historical and Biblical parallels. Friday the 13th happens when the Gregorian calendar’s 13th day of the month falls on a Friday, which happens at least once a year but up to three times in one year. Any month that starts on a Sunday will have a Friday the 13th.
Triskaidekaphobia is the fear or avoidance of the number 13. According to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, North Carolina, an estimated 17–21 million people in the United States are affected by a fear of this day, making it the most feared day and date in history. Some people are so paralyzed by fear that they avoid their normal routines in doing business, taking flights or even getting out of bed. It’s been estimated that US$800–900 million is lost in business on this day
While there is evidence of both Friday and the number 13 being considered unlucky, there is no record of the two items being referred to as especially unlucky in conjunction before the 19th century.
According to folklore historian Donald Dossey, the unlucky nature of the number “13” originated with a Norse myth about 12 gods having a dinner party in Valhalla. The trickster god Loki, who was not invited, arrived as the 13th guest, and arranged for Höðr to shoot Balder with a mistletoe-tipped arrow. Dossey: “Balder died, and the whole Earth got dark. The whole Earth mourned. It was a bad, unlucky day.” This major event in Norse mythology caused the number 13 to be considered unlucky.
The notion that Friday is unlucky seems to stem from the Christian belief that Jesus was killed on that day. According to the Bible, Eve gave Adam the poisoned fruit on a Friday, the same day that Cain killed his brother Abel. During the Middle Ages Christians connected the number of guests seated at the final supper, 13 individuals present in the Upper Room on the 13th of Nisan Maundy Thursday, the night before his death on ‘Good Friday’, and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. In Western superstition, the phrase “unlucky 13” has been linked with bad luck.
In the United Kingdom, Friday was also known as Hangman’s Day since that was the day when prisoners were typically given hanging sentences.
In Finland, a consortium of governmental and nongovernmental organizations led by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health promotes the National Accident Day (kansallinen tapaturmapäivä) to raise awareness about automotive safety, which always falls on a Friday the 13th. The event is coordinated by the Finnish Red Cross and has been held since 1995.
Events related to “unlucky” 13:
- Apollo 13 was launched on April 11, 1970, at 13:13:00 CST and suffered an oxygen tank explosion on April 13 at 21:07:53 CST. It returned safely to Earth on April 17.
- In the case of the actual 13th flight, the crew was apparently not superstitious and made a humorous mission patch that had a black cat on it. Also, that mission re-entered and landed on Friday the 13th which one crew described as being “pretty cool”.
- On Friday, October 13, 1307, the arrest of the Knights Templar was ordered by Philip IV of France. While the number 13 was considered unlucky, Friday the 13th was not considered unlucky at the time. The incorrect idea that their arrest was related to the phobias surrounding Friday the 13th was invented early in the 21st century and popularized by the novel The Da Vinci Code.
At dawn on Friday, Oct. 13, 1307, in the kingdom of France, government agents swooped in on every property belonging to the world-famous Knights Templar, arrested their members on false charges and began a process of interrogation, public examination and reputational demolition that ended four and a half years later with the order being dissolved.
- Friday the 13th mini-crash was a stock market crash that occurred on Friday, October 13, 1989.
- Vehicle registration plates in Ireland are such that the first two digits represent the year of registration of the vehicle (i.e., 11 is a 2011 registered car, 12 is 2012, and so on). In 2012, there were concerns among members of the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) that the prospect of having “13” registered vehicles might discourage motorists from buying new cars because of superstition surrounding the number thirteen, and that car sales and the motor industry (which was already doing badly) would suffer as a result. The government, in consultation with SIMI, introduced a system whereby 2013 registered vehicles would have their registration plates’ age identifier string modified to read “131” for vehicles registered in the first six months of 2013 and “132” for those registered in the latter six months of the year.
- Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 suffered an uncontained engine failure due to the failure of the number 13 fan blade on the number 1 engine on April 17, 2018. A passenger who was partially sucked out of a window as a result of damage later died from her injuries.
- Many ships, including cruise liners have omitted having a 13th deck due to triskaidekaphobia. Instead, the decks are numbered up to 12 and skip straight to number 14. Hotels, buildings and elevator manufacturers have also avoided using the number 13 for rooms and floors based on triskaidekaphobia.
In Spanish-speaking countries, instead of Friday, Tuesday the 13th (martes trece) is considered a day of bad luck. The Greeks also consider Tuesday (and especially the 13th) an unlucky day. Tuesday is considered dominated by the influence of Ares, the god of war (or Mars, the Roman equivalent). The fall of Constantinople to the Fourth Crusade occurred on Tuesday 13 April 1204, and the Fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans happened on Tuesday 29 May 1453, events that strengthen the superstition about Tuesday. In addition, in Greek the name of the day is Triti (Τρίτη) meaning the third (day of the week), adding weight to the superstition, since bad luck is said to “come in threes”. Tuesday the 13th occurs in a month that begins on a Thursday.
In Italian popular culture, Friday the 17th (and not the 13th) is considered a bad luck day. The origin of this belief could be traced in the writing of the number 17, in Roman numerals: XVII. By shuffling the digits of the number one can easily get the word VIXI (“I have lived”, implying death at present), an omen of bad luck. In fact, in Italy, 13 is generally considered a lucky number. However, due to Americanization, young people consider Friday the 13th unlucky as well. Friday the 17th occurs on a month starting on Wednesday.
My thoughts:
Personally, to me, I love Fridays and 13 has always been a lovely number for me. To me it isn’t unlucky at all. That day has never been particularly unlucky for me. It is easy to see why others would be worried or upset about the day. However, when I write, I always use 13 point font. I enjoy the 13th. I just giggle when I don’t see a 13th floor. When I finally build my forever home, I already plan to have the # 13 somewhere in the house number. To each their own!
How do YOU feel about Friday the 13th or the number 13?
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