As any civilized human being would, we know the unwritten rules of don’t walk under ladders or step on the cracks in the sidewalks or break a mirror. We also know that “Friday the 13th” is not a good day. But why? We usually spend our weeks counting down to Friday so why is this one so different?
The origin of the unlucky number 13 goes back to mythology as well as The Last Supper. A Norse myth told the story of a dinner party of twelve guests who were surprised with an unexpected thirteenth guest. This thirteenth guest was Loki, a notorious god. The Last Supper mirrors this story in the sense that Judas was the uninvited thirteenth guest, and Jesus was crucified the very next day. Here began the unlucky number 13, a perceived predictor of death. This can explain why most hotels and hospitals skip out on having a thirteenth floor.
So now we know the story of why the number 13 is bad, but what’s wrong with Friday? Well, this question also goes back to Christian stories. Friday was a busy day in that Jesus was crucified, Adam gave Eve the fateful apple, and Cain killed Abel. All this death called for Friday to be labeled as a day of death. And, put the two tales together and we get a bad mix, hence, Friday the 13th was born as a spooky, no good day.
In the late 1800s, one brave soul attempted to end the stigma of 13 being an unlucky number. Captain William Fowler formed The Thirteen Club, a group of 13 people who hosted a 13-course dinner on the thirteenth of every month in room 13 of a hotel. Their efforts were grand, but unfortunately, did not remove the association of death with the number.
Ever since, Friday the 13th has become a huge plot line for books, movies and TV shows. Every year has at least one Friday the 13th, and it is possible for there to be three in just one year. The trick is to look at what day the month starts: if the month begins on a Sunday, you’re in for a Friday the 13th that month. Also, some countries do not even acknowledge that Friday the Thirteenth could be spooky. In Italy, the people tend to find some spooky stuff happening on Friday the 13th. Finland celebrates Friday the Thirteenth as National Accident Day to raise awareness for general safety.
Although Friday the 13th seems to be a spooky, scary day, we have one to look forward to in the kind-of near future. Keep your eyes peeled on Friday, April 13, 2029 to see an asteroid fly past the Earth. So maybe, they aren’t all spooky all the time.