Why is Friday the 13th unlucky? Meaning explained – The Sun

SUPERSITIOUS people see Friday the 13th as a day filled with bad luck and do everything they can to avoid misfortune on the day.

The mistrust of Friday the 13th dates back to the twelfth century or even further back to biblical times.

Why is Friday the 13th unlucky?

While the origins of Friday the 13th are not known but are thought to have begun in the Middle Ages.

Others argue that the superstition comes from Jesus's Last Supper, at which there were 13 people present.

Norse mythology features a dinner party of 12 gods in Valhalla, trickster god Loki arrives as the 13th uninvited guest and shoots another god.

There are lots unlucky beliefs around the number 13 which are heightened during Friday the 13th.

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Around the 19th century, an Italian composer died on Friday the 13th and his biographer noted that he, like other Italians, believed the day to be unlucky.

Thanks to a string of events that have occurred on this day, many feel it is jinxed and pay particular care to avoid catastrophe where possible.

The fear is so widespread – an estimate suggests between 17 and 21 million Americans are afraid of the day – that psychologists have even come up with a word for Friday the 13th worriers: paraskavedekatriaphobia.

When is the next Friday the 13th?

Every decade there are about 20 Friday the 13ths.

The good news there is only one Friday 13th in 2022 – that is today May 13, 2022.

There will not be another until January 13 2023.

However, there are two Friday the 13ths in 2023 – January and October.

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Where did the Friday the 13th superstition come from?

One of the most popularised stories surrounding the origin of the superstition was when multitudes of Knights Templar were captured and tortured in France in 1307 on Friday, October 13.

In his Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer also referred to the unlucky day, saying that starting a journey or a project on a Friday is bad luck.

And according to Thomas Fernsler, a University of Delaware professor, the fear of the number 13 comes from it following 12, which is seen as a more "safe number".

Twelve is seen as a more complete number, as there were 12 apostles, we have 12 months and there are 12 zodiac signs.

As a result of the fear of the number 13, many buildings and hotels, such as the Carlton in London, skip having a 13th floor entirely.

The number 13 is also often associated with witchcraft, as it is deemed the number of witches you need to form a coven.

Also, French King Philip IV would torture victims on Friday the 13th.

Likewise, in Britain, many public hangings took place on this day.

What bad things have happened on Friday the 13th?

Some have argued it's not all silly superstition, as several deadly plane crashes and grisly murders have happened on this day.

• Legendary rapper Tupac Shakur died on Friday, September 13, 1996, six days after being shot in a Las Vegas drive-by. It was one of hip-hop's biggest tragedies but the murder remains unsolved, leading to hundreds of different conspiracy theories, including arguments that the music producer isn’t actually dead.
• On Friday 13, 1976, a man was killed when the roof of his flat caved in. Spookily, Daz Pearson had chosen to stay home because he had a bad feeling something was going to happen to him.
• Experts at The Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in North Carolina have previously estimated that over £700million is lost every year because people miss work over Friday 13th superstitions. But the biggest money crisis occurred in a mini crash on October 13, 1989. It was the Dow Jones Industrial Average's second largest crash to date.
• The life of a daredevil is always precarious, but the death of Sam Patch has left conspiracy theorists talking for centuries. In 1829, The Yankee Leaper attempted to jump from 125 feet into Niagara River, near the Falls. Over 8,000 onlookers gathered to watch the terrifying spectacle, but Sam never surfaced again.
• The world was shocked when Kitty Genovese was brutally stabbed and raped by a stranger on March 13, 1964. Horrifically, the attack lasted for over 30 minutes – during which time 38 witnesses walked past without phoning the police. Following the brutal murder, psychologists coined the term the "bystander effect", which is now used to explain how people in crowds are less likely to help those in need.
• On Friday October 13, 1972, a plane crashed in the Andes killing 12 people. The 16 survivors were forced to eat the bodies of the dead victims in order to keep themselves alive until they were rescued.
• During World War II, the Nazis dropped five bombs on Buckingham Palace on September 13, 1940. One person died when bombs struck the London landmark, taking out the Royal Chapel and destroying the water main. Luckily, the now Queen Elizabeth II and King George VI weren’t present at the time of the attack.
• On July 13, 1877, the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, Nathan Bedford Forrest, was born.
• The Bhola cyclone struck Bangladesh and India, killing 500,000 people on Friday, November 13, in 1970.
• The original Black Friday occurred in 1989 on Friday, October 13, when a failed buyout deal for United Airlines’ parent company fell through sending global markets plunging.
• In 2012, the Costa Concordia sank on Friday, January 13, causing the death of 32 people. The cruise liner was carrying more than 4,000 people when it hit a rock off the coast of Italy.
• On Friday, October 13, 1307, thousands of Crusader warriors were imprisoned and later tortured by officers of the French King Philip IV.
• Devastating bush fires tore through Victoria in Australia on January 13, 1939. The fire caused 36 fatalities in just one day with the flames destroying 75 per cent of the state.
• March 13, 2020 is considered the first day of the Covid pandemic in the US.
• While at an air show in 2010, a 13-year-old boy was struck by lighting at 13:13 on Friday 13.

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Unlucky or not, the day has a dark history which helps perpetuate the belief that Friday the 13th should be avoided.

The film franchise Friday the 13th certainly hasn't helped this superstition.

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