Which Superstitions Are Related to Friday the 13th And Why Are People Afraid of This Date?

Friday the 13th is not only a cult horror movie, but also a trigger for those suffering from triskaidekaphobia. The scary day has a real story. Behavioural scientists Donald Dossey and Jane Risen shared their opinion.

Origin of the Friday the 13th Superstition

If a person is afraid of walking under ladders, black cats, and broken mirrors, this means he is too impressionable and believes in superstitions. But if Friday the 13th makes him sad, then the person suffers from triskaidekaphobia - a fear of the number 13. Why is Friday the 13th a scary day? It is not known exactly when the fear of this day arose. While Western cultures have historically associated the number 12 with something good (the 12 days of Christmas, 12 months and signs of the zodiac, the 12 labors of Hercules, the 12 gods of Olympus, the 12 tribes of Israel), the number 13 has been considered a sign of bad luck for many centuries.

What does Friday the 13th mean? It is a day of troubles, on which, according to numerous myths and superstitions, problems and failures are attracted to people like a magnet. To avoid them, you should always be on guard and not provoke negativity.

The history of the myth of Friday the 13th is long and varied. For example, in the laws of the Babylonian king Hammurabi there is no clause number 13. Jesus and the twelve apostles were present at the Last Supper - thirteen guests in total. The next day, Jesus was crucified. The dinner party in Valhalla, described in Scandinavian mythology, was unsuccessful.

What does Friday have to do with it? Jesus was crucified on a Friday. According to legend, on Friday, Eve gave Adam the apple from the tree of knowledge, Cain killed his brother Abel, King Solomon's temple was destroyed, and Noah's Ark sailed away from the shore. All this led to Friday and the number 13 being stigmatized.

According to legend, on Friday, October 13, 1307, guards appeared in all the commanderies of the Knights Templar with a decree from King Philip IV the Fair, ordering the immediate arrest of all knights and the confiscation of their property. When Jacques de Molay, the Grand Master of the Knights Templar, burned at the stake, he cursed Pope Clement, the king, his adviser, and their descendants to the thirteenth generation. Three descendants died in each of their families, and the Templars were avenged.

There are also real tragic events that happened on this day.

On Friday the 13th:
• Buckingham Palace was bombed (1940);
• Kitty Genovese was killed in front of indifferent bystanders (1964). Her case is included in social psychology textbooks as the "bystander effect";
• a deadly cyclone swept through Bangladesh (1970);
• a plane with a rugby team on board crashed (1972);
• hip-hop artist Tupac Shakur was killed (1996);
• the Costa Concordia cruise liner ran aground (2012).

In the late 19th century, Friday the 13th formed the basis for the idea of ​​the "Thirteen Club" in New York City, which included four former US presidents: Chester A. Arthur, Grover Cleveland, Benjamin Harrison and Theodore Roosevelt. Its main goal was to combat superstitions, including those associated with Friday and the number 13. This ominous day was reflected in the novel of the same name by Thomas W. Lawson and the cult horror film Friday the 13th (1980), which later became an American horror franchise of the slasher subgenre.

What you can't and should do on Friday the 13th

A series of real events and mythical coincidences led to the fact that Friday the 13th became a scary or simply unlucky day, on which it is not customary to plan important things, but one should behave as carefully as possible.

On this day, you should not conduct business negotiations, make long trips, or fly. You shouldn’t quarrel, remember grievances, sort things out, or pick up things you find from the ground. In order not to increase bad luck, you need to be wary of black cats, broken mirrors, and other negative signs.

Behavioural scientist Donald Dossey, who specialises in treating phobias, said that he had patients who did not even get out of bed on this day. People who are dependent on the omen try not to drive.

What to do on an anxious day? In order to avoid frightening passengers away, business owners remove the thirteenth row from airplanes and the thirteenth floor from hotels. To reduce anxiety on an unlucky day you can go to church early in the morning or devote the day to self-care. Spend time with your family. It is important to remember that Friday the 13th is not an axiom, and to look at the situation neutrally. Not in all countries is this the most terrible day. For example, in Greece and Spanish-speaking countries, Tuesday the 13th is considered unlucky. In Italy, residents are afraid of Friday the 17th.

Friday the 13th is considered a bad day, but you can create your own rules. Once you learn about the origin of the sign, develop a strategy for how to live this day better. It is quite possible that luck will smile on you on Friday the 13th.