Why is Friday the 13th Unlucky

There is a bit of Robert Langdon from The Da Vinci Code that comes to mind when one explores the question of "Why is Friday the 13th unlucky?" A path of reason, conjecture and pure symbolism wanders through history with any attempt to resolve the question. This superstition deemed fact for many people has its roots in cultures stemming from Viking and Norse mythology through the view of modern Christianity.

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Even the most pragmatic person takes pause when Friday the 13th rolls around. Something akin to the notion that there are no atheists in foxholes, the idea of Friday the 13th as an unlucky day has been with most of people since childhood. Unlike tales of Santa Claus and stepping on cracks to break your mother’s back, this superstition lingers and flits through the mind of the most doubtful. The earliest known origin of Friday the 13th as unlucky is attributed to Norse mythology. Frigga was the goddess of love and fertility, and Friday is named after her. With the introduction of Christianity, Frigga morphed into a witch. It was the belief that she convenes with eleven other witches and the devil every Friday to conjure up mischief for the next week that made Friday the "Witches Sabbath".

The Knights Templar did exist, and their purpose included escorting travelers through the Holy Land in the years of the Crusades. Amassing great stores of wealth and power brought them to the attention of King Philip. Hungry for gold, King Philip conspired with Church leaders and secretly ordered the abolishment of the Order of the Knights Templar on Friday, October 13, 1307. Many knights and their supporters were arrested, tortured and murdered. Remnants of the group went into hiding, and the day remains in infamy in both Christian and world history.

The number 13 is an oddity and is considered an imperfection from artists to astrologers to mathematicians. In recorded Christian history, the Last Supper stands out as visible testimony to the ill luck of bringing thirteen people together to share a meal (12 disciples plus Christ). It is believed that in a group of thirteen, one will die an early death. In France to this day, you can actually rent a guest to serve as the fourteenth member of any dinner party to insure the success and the lives of your guests. In covens devoted to the practice of black magic, the number 13 represents the apostle Judas as the ultimate bringer of evil and revenge against the light of God.

The crucifixion of Jesus occurred on a Friday. Although it is preceded by a "Good Friday" in Christianity, the somber tone of the events as a whole gives the day a sense of foreboding. The day itself becomes one of inevitable doom, followed by massive loss before the ultimate triumph of Easter Sunday. Many churches drape their interiors in black cloth on this day as a sign of grief and loss, followed by the colors of purple and white celebrating the resurrection.

The great stock market crash in the 1920s took place on a Friday branded forever as ‘Black Friday’. During the Civil War, the South experienced the loss of its largest munitions lab in Richmond on Friday the 13th in an explosion that killed over sixty-eight people, most of them young female employees. Outlaw Butch Cassidy and even Fidel Castro were born on Friday the 13th.

Many hotels built in the past and today do not have a named thirteenth floor. One of the most famous haunted houses, the Winchester House, pays constant homage to the number 13 with steps and doors leading nowhere for the confusion of the spirits. Some airlines see a major drop in traffic every Friday the 13th. Many athletes avoid wearing the number at all costs. While some studies report a drop in accidents as people stay home and out of the way, others show an unusual spike from car accidents to emergency room visits.

Paraskavedekatriaphobia is the fear of Friday the 13, and is also called, friggatriskaidekaphobia. Triskaidekaphobia is fear of the number 13. The emotional state brought on by this fear includes manifestation of physical and psychological symptoms.

The question persists – why is Friday the 13th unlucky? For the faint of heart, this year there is some cause for trepidation and celebration; in 2009 we have already lived through two Friday the 13ths (both February and March had one). The next one is in November of 2009. The last time three Friday the 13ths occurred was in 1998. The good news – this will not happen again until 2015!

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