Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day in Western superstition. It occurs when the 13th day of the month in the Gregorian calendar falls on a Friday, which happens at least once every year but can occur up to three times in the same year. The origins of the superstition are unclear, but there are several theories. Some Christians believe Friday to be unlucky because it was the day of the week that Jesus was crucified. In the 14th and 15th centuries, the number 13 was associated with the Last Supper, where there were 13 people at the table, and the 13th was Jesus. When 13 and Friday come together, its a double whammy.
It is possible that the publication in 1907 of T. W. Lawsons popular novel Friday, the Thirteenth, contributed to popularizing the superstition. In the novel, an unscrupulous broker takes advantage of the superstition to create a Wall Street panic on a Friday the 13th. It wasn’t until the 19th century, however, that Friday 13th became synonymous with misfortune. The combination of Friday and the number 13 is a Victorian invention. In pagan times, Friday was believed to have a unique association with the divine feminine.
Despite the origins of the superstition, there is no scientific evidence to support the idea that Friday the 13th is an unlucky day. Fear of the number 13 is so prevalent that it has a scientific name: triskaidekaphobia. However, there is no statistical evidence to suggest that Friday the 13th is any more unlucky than any other day of the year.
