Friday the 13th has long been considered the unluckiest day in the calendar, and while most of us dismiss it as mere silly superstition, others dread the date to the point where they will refuse to even leave their homes.
But why is this date so notoriously considered unlucky, to the extent that we have even developed a word to recognise a fear of this date – paraskevidekatriaphobia.
As is often the case with cultural superstitions and beliefs, the origins of the unluckiest date in the calendar cannot be tied down to one single definitive source, and is most likely the result of many different factors and events that have combined and morphed over time to create the Friday the 13th superstitions.
Individually, both the day Friday and the number 13 have long been considered unlucky in their own rights for centuries, and at some point in history, both Friday and 13 were combined to create an exceptionally unlucky date.
Friday, for example, is often considered unlucky by Christians because of its Biblical origins; In Genesis, Eve bit the forbidden fruit when living in the Garden of Eden and was – along with Adam – expelled by God, an event many historians consider occurred on a Friday (though it was never directly asserted in the Bible.) Other tragic Biblical events are also considered to have occurred on Friday, such as the destruction of the Temple of Solomon and the crucification of Jesus, which is now of course honored with Good Friday.
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The crucification of Jesus can also be tied to the number 13 as well. During The Last Supper, Jesus sat down with 13 of his disciples, the 13th of which was Judas, who subsequently betrayed Jesus. This is generally considered why many believe having 13 people at a dinner or a gathering is bad luck. The same sentiment is held in Norse culture too when, according to mythology, a 13th guest turned up to an honorary banquet for the God Baldur – that guest was Loki who would be instrumental in the execution of Baldur. Other religions, including Hinduism, consider is unlucky to have 13 people attending any type of gathering and many are known to intentially ensure that does not happen.
Friday is also the day where criminals would be commonly executed in both Britain and Rome, and many dubbed the day Hangman’s Day.
The number 13 on the other hand is considered unlucky by many religions. Hindus believe it is unlucky for 13 people to gather in one place, whilst Scandinavians believe 13 signified bad fortune because the 13th demigod – Loki – was a sign of bad fortune and evil.
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Folklore plays a part too. The 13th Tarot card, for example, is the sign of Death. The card itself features an image of the Grim Reaper. Many hotels will avoid having a room number 13 because of the stigma attached to the number.
Another theory from history is that on Friday 13th 1307, Philip IV King of France and the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church were said to have arrested hundreds of the Knights Templar. The Templar Grand Master Jacques de Molay, who was later burned at the stake, cursed both the King and Pope with bad fortune. Both died within a year of Molay, leading to the belief that de Molay’s curse would echo throughout time affecting potentially anyone on the day the King’s arrest orders were made, on Friday the 13th. However this story is said to have been a more contemporary tale, and that is almost certainly did not unfold that way.
It is also believed that the number 13 was intentionally denounced by those that wanted the 12-month solar calendar to succeed the 13-month “Goddess” calendar, and those who supported the 12 month calendar had purposely denigrated the number 13.
Given that both Friday and the number 13 were both considered unlucky thanks to a number of different religions and cultural superstitions, it was perhaps inevitable that at some point the two would begin to be paired to create an unlucky date, and this is exactly what happened, possibly during the 19th century. However, despite this narrative of Friday and 13 being an unlucky pairing in our calendar, in modern history there is little to support that notion. Studies show that no more fatalities, injuries or any other undesirable consequences occur on this date; a perfect demonstration of our propensity towards superstition and mythology in the face of cold hard facts and detached logic.