Friday the 13th is considered by most to be the unluckiest day of the year. In 2015, we have three Friday the 13ths to survive; a rare situation – most recently, it occurred in 2012 and it will not occur again until 2026.
In celebration of this superstitious day and paraskevidekatriaphobists everywhere, here are a few of the most common legends and lore associated with Friday the 13th:
Thirteen is often considered an unlucky number in many cultures. In Christian mythology, thirteen men gathered at the last supper – with the thirteenth guest, Judas Iscariot, betraying Jesus shortly thereafter. (Coincidently, Jesus was then crucified on a Friday).
Norse mythology also includes an unlucky dinner celebration by 12 gods and a 13th party crasher, Loki, god of mischief and trickery.
Another theory of why thirteen is shrouded in so much superstition is its relation to a “complete” number, twelve. We have twelve months, our day is divided into two twelve hour segments (a.m. and p.m.), there were twelve apostles, twelve gods of Olympus, twelve tribes of Israel, etc. Thirteen adds one more to this perfect number, breaking the completeness.
Maritime folklore deems Friday as an unlucky day in general (regardless of the numerical day of the month it falls on). Sailors believed it an ill omen to begin a voyage on a Friday.
Christianity has many examples of the unluckiness of Friday. Aside from being the day on which Jesus was crucified, Christian mythology also places these events as occurring on Fridays: Adam and Eve being banished from the Garden of Eden, the death of Adam and Eve, and the destroying of the Temple of Solomon.
Predating these Christian beliefs, even Norse mythology has a slight aversion to the day. The day was named after the Norse goddess Freyja (also known as Frigg), the goddess of love, beauty, wisdom, war, death, and magic. Most likely because of the connection to war, death, and possibly magic (which usually wasn’t filled with cute unicorns and happiness in those days), Fridays were considered poor choices for weddings.
So, is the 13th actually an unlucky day? Of the many scientific studies on the subject, none have factually proven that the day is “unlucky”. Of course, if you become overly paranoid and frantic, you do risk in creating a self-fulfilling prophesy, but there are not concrete links to increase in “unlucky” accidents on Friday the 13th.
However, history does have some varified morbid occurrences on Friday the 13th. For example, on a Friday the 13th in 1307, King Philip IV of France raided the homes of the Knights Templar and arrested thousands of men (a very bleak and horrific occurrence). Additionally, Tupac Shakur, Julia Child, and Tim Russert (beloved news anchor from Buffalo, New York) all died on a Friday the 13th.
In the end, we all have our own beliefs and superstitions. To some Friday the 13th is a horrible day filled with nervousness and fear, to others, it is just a regular end of the workweek day. Either way, I hope that you have a wonderful day today and only a few black cats cross your path.
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