Halloween is spooky in its own right, but occasionally one day comes along that people find equally, if not more, frightening – Friday the 13th, widely known as the most unlucky day of the year. The mystery around this day has left room for wild theories; there is even a diagnosable Friday the 13th phobia called paraskavedekatriaphobia or friggatriskaidekaphobia. Whether a diagnosable fear or a general apprehension, the unsettling date has created significant economic impacts with people refusing to travel or schedule events during this time. This year, it appears twice on the calendar: once in September and again in December. Before we start fearing calendar dates, here is what to know about Friday the 13th that isn’t derived from horror film culture.
Origins
There is no precise origin for the myth of bad luck on Friday the 13th, though it’s been around for the past century or so. Some speculate the myth stems from Judas being the 13th guest or the Knights Templar being sentenced on Friday the 13th. The first written reference to the date was in a French play from 1834 called Les Finesses des Gribouilles, when one character says, “I was born on a Friday, December 13th, 1813 from which come all of my misfortunes.” Then, in a French literary magazine, Revue de Paris, an author wrote about a murder involving and daughter on the 13th, concluding, “It is always Fridays and the number thirteen that bring back luck.”
Fear of Connection and “Magical Thinking”
Friday and the number 13 also hold taboos separately. 13 is an odd, prime number that is pretty unhelpful and insignificant mathematically. Meanwhile, Fridays have long been considered unlucky in Western culture, specifically in Catholicism, with Friday designated as the day of penance. With no solid origin, pop culture has perpetuated fear and superstition with films and literature. For example, the Friday the 13th franchise with over four films from 1980 to 1984, and a remake in 2009.
Dr. Phil Stevens, author of Rethinking the Anthropology of Magic and Witchcraft: Inherently Human and retired anthropology professor from the University of Buffalo, describes the day as an example of “magical thinking.” Magical thinking means to believe that there is a causal relationship between two unrelated things, so in this case, Friday and the 13th take on a new nature when they fall on the same day.
Superstition implies a specific connection between separate entities. Superstitions create negative connotations because, with this unsettling sense of mystery and an infinite amount of ways to interpret, we tend to think of the worst. Thus, we avoid connections and even fear them. Nevertheless, some people find positive connotations in connections, like a good luck charm or assigning a higher value to something that was owned or used by someone famous. In that sense, some find Friday the 13th to be specifically lucky.
Friday the 13th comes down to perspective. We do not have to abandon our superstitions, but we can also perceive them in a way that benefits instead of hindering us. Who knows? This December, Friday the 13th may be our luckiest day yet.
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