Friday the 13th. Lots of people believe the unluckiest day is Friday the 13th — some people have an actual fear of the day and won’t travel, make decisions or even get out of bed on that day. The fear of Friday the 13th is known as friggatriskaidekaphobia and supposedly more than 20 million Americans suffer from it. If someone is only afraid of the number 13, they suffer from triskaidekaphobia.
Friday the 13th comes around every year — at least once. It’s possible to come around as often as three times in a single year. In 1984, Friday the 13th occurred three times, and each one occurred exactly 13 week apart. The unlucky days that year were January 13, April 13 and July 13. It’s interesting that in order for a month to have a Friday the 13, it must begin on a Sunday.
No one knows exactly were the superstition of bad luck comes from — supposedly the reason the number 13 gets a bad rap is because it comes after 12, which is considered a number of “completeness.” There is 12 hours on a clock, 12 months in a year, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 days of Christmas, 12 Zodiac signs, 12 Apostles of Jesus, 12 eggs in a dozen, etc.
Friday the 13th has been associated with bad luck from biblical times. Many believe the it stems from the idea that the 12th guest at the Last Supper was the one who betrayed Jesus prior to his death, which occurred on a Friday.
But the number 13 just can’t catch a break — there are 13 twists of the rope in a traditional hangman’s noose and 13 steps to the gallows. In Formula 1 racing, there is no car allowed with the number 13 — the number has been removed after two drivers were killed in crashes, both driving cars numbered 13. Bad guys like, Charles Manson, Saddam Hussein, Jeffery Dammer, Theodore Bundy and Jack The Ripper each have 13 letters in their names. Alfred Hitchcock was born on August 13 (1889) so on Friday, August 13, 1999 would have been his 100th birthday….
I don’t know if any of this is significant, but I might add that there are 13 witches in a coven.
Probably just as many good things as bad happen on Friday the 13th, but then again, why take a chance — a friend of mine believes it is bad luck to fall out of a thirteenth story window on a Friday. Luckily, a lot of buildings don’t have a 13th floor (check the elevators.) Just remember that superstition is foolish, childish, primitive and irrational — but — how much does it cost you to knock on wood?
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There is no row 13 in airplanes and many buildings skip the floor as well