On Friday the 13th, leave the superstitions at home

Of all the days to stay in bed, Friday the 13th is surely the best. It’s the title of a popular (if increasingly corny) horror movie series; it’s associated with bad luck and it’s generally thought to be a good time not to take any serious risks.

Even if you try to escape it, you might fail, as happened to New Yorker Daz Baxter. On Friday 13th in 1976, he decided to just stay in bed for the day, only to be killed when the floor of his apartment block collapsed under him. There’s even a term for the terror the day evokes: Paraskevidekatriaphobia was coined by the psychotherapist Donald Dossey, a specialist in phobias, to describe an intense and irrational fear of the date.

Unfortunately there is always one Friday 13th in a year, and sometimes there are as many as three. Today is one of them - and another comes in July. But no matter how many times the masked killer Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th returns to haunt our screens, this fear is in our own minds rather than any basis in science.

One study did show a small rise in accidents on that day for women drivers in Finland, but much of the problem was due to anxiety rather than general bad luck. Follow-up research found no consistent evidence of a rise in accidents on the day, but suggested that if you’re superstitious, it might be better not get behind the wheel of a car on it anyway.

The stigma against Friday 13th likely comes from a merging of two different superstitions. In the Christian tradition, the death of Jesus took place on a Friday, following the presence of 13 people at the Last Supper. In Teutonic legend, the god Loki appears at a dinner party seated for 12 gods, making him the outcast 13th at the table, leading to the death of another guest.

Elsewhere in the world, 13 is less unlucky. In Hinduism, people fast to worship Lord Shiva and Parvati on Trayodashi, the 13th day in Hindu month. There are 13 Buddhas in the Shingon sect of Buddhism, and there is mention of a lucky 13 signs, rather than unlucky, in The Tibetan Book of the Great Liberation.

In Italy, it is more likely to be “heptadecaphobia”, or fear of the number 17, that leads to a change of plans. In Greece, Spain, and Mexico, the “unlucky” day is not Friday 13th, but Tuesday 13th.

In China, the number four is considered significantly unlucky, as it is nearly homophonous to the word “death”. In a multicultural country like Australia you may find hotels and cinemas missing both 13th and fourth floors, out of respect for the trepidation people can have about those numbers.

The lure of superstition

Superstitions were one of the first elements of paranormal beliefs studied in the early 1900s. While many are now just social customs rather than a genuine conviction, their persistence is remarkable.

If you cross your fingers, feel alarmed at breaking a mirror, find a “lucky” horseshoe or throw spilled salt over your shoulder, you are engaging in long-held practices that can have a powerful impact on your emotions. Likewise, many students are now heading towards their semester exams. In the lecture rooms, they may take lucky charms such as a particular pen or favourite socks.

In sports, baseballer Nomar Garciaparra is known for his elaborate batting ritual. Other sports people wear “lucky gear” or put on their gloves in a particular order. The great cricket umpire David Shepherd stood on one leg whenever the score reached 111. These sorts of superstitions are humorously depicted in the film Silver Linings Playbook. It’s interesting to note that it’s often the successful athletes who have these superstitions and stick to them.

One key reason for the persistence of superstition is a psychological concept called a “discriminative stimulus”. An example of this is the gambler who notices he always seem to win when betting on “lucky 7”, and forgets all the times that same number has not been in his favour.

Charms do work in a fashion. If you wear your lucky underwear and succeed enough, you will feel distress that actually impedes your performance if you’re not wearing them. This then influences your performance – an “A” seems guaranteed because you walk in fully prepared.

But if you’re feeling a little anxious this Friday, try to remember there’s nothing different about it to any other day.

Friday the 13th is known for being the most unlucky day of the year, with many people fearing what the day entails.

The unlucky date will occur for the first time this year this coming Friday, which is why we rounded up 13 things you might not know about this ominous day.

Whether you think it’s unlucky or not, cross your fingers (and maybe your toes) and check out these 13 interesting facts about Friday the 13th.

How did it start?

There are a number of theories about the origins of Friday the 13th and its association with all things unlucky. One theory is that the superstition stems from early Christianity because thirteen is the number of people present at the Last Supper (Jesus and his 12 apostles), which took place on Maundy Thursday. At the Last Supper, Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th member of the party to arrive. Jesus died the next day on Good Friday.

Not all cultures fear Friday the 13th

Not all cultures believe Friday the 13th is unlucky. In Spanish and Greek cultures, Tuesday the 13th is considered far more ominous. In Italian culture, Friday the 17th is considered to be even unluckier than the 13th.

Blame it on Sunday

For a month to have a Friday the 13th, it must begin with a Sunday. If you don’t believe us, check your calendar for yourself.

It can come in three

Friday the 13th will happen at least once a year but can occur as many as three times a year. In 2018, it will occur twice on April 13 and July 13.

The fear is real

Millions of people in the world, including prolific horror writer Stephen King, have an irrational fear of the number 13, which is known as “triskaidekaphobia.” People also fear Friday the 13th, which is known as “paraskevidekatriaphobia” or “friggatriskaidekaphobia,” depending on who you talk to.

Superstition Treatment

Near Philadelphia is the Friggatriskaidekaphobia Treatment Center, an organization that hosts parties centred on confronting common phobias like walking under a ladder, stepping on a crack, breaking a mirror and opening an umbrella indoors.

In literature

One of the first Friday the 13th stories was written by Thomas Lewson in 1907. The story, titled Friday, the thirteenth, was about a Wall Street broker who chose the day to enact his rage and destroy the stock market.

Celebrities and the 13th

A number of celebrities were born on Friday the 13th including Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Julia Louis Dreyfus, Steve Buscemi, and Peter Tork. Tupac Shakur died on Friday, September 13, 1996, after a hail of bullets hit his car in Las Vegas.

‘I Do’

If you happen to be in Las Vegas and you’re in the mood to say ‘I do’, the Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel offers special zombie, gothic, vampire and “Rocky Horror”-themed ceremonies on Friday the 13th.

Friday the 13th in space

According to NASA, on Friday, April 13, 2029, a large asteroid called Asteroid 2004 MN4, will fly close enough to Earth to be visible without a telescope, but it will not hit.

In Ontario…

In Port Dover, ON, motorcyclists from all over Canada gather every Friday the 13th for massive rallies that draw thousands of participants. The tradition dates back to 1981.

Inspiration in film

The extremely successful Friday the 13th franchise includes 12 horror films, a TV series, six films adapted into novels, comic books, and more. The mask worn by the main character in the films, Jason Voorhees, is one of the most recognizable images in pop culture.

13 is a dodgy number

The number 13 has always been looked at as an odd number, while the number 12 is more complete. There are 12 months in a year, 12 hours of the clock, 12 zodiac signs, 12 Apostles of Jesus, 12 Gods of Olympus, and 12 Days of Christmas. Not to mention most elevators don’t have a 13th floor. So, what comes in 13? Apparently, you need 13 witches to form a coven. Spooky.

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