Friday the 13th
- Related Topics:
- superstition
- Friday
- the number thirteen
What is paraskevidekatriaphobia?
Which historical works are linked to the origin of the Friday the 13th superstition?
What was the Thirteen Club?
How is the number 13 viewed in Norse mythology?
How does the superstition of Friday the 13th vary in different countries?
Friday the 13th, date that signifies bad luck in many Western cultures. The superstition is akin to the beliefs that crossing paths with a black cat, walking under a ladder, opening an umbrella indoors, or breaking a mirror bring bad luck.
Friday the 13th, which occurs when the 13th day of a month in the Gregorian calendar falls on a Friday, happens at least once a year and sometimes up to three times a year. On average, one occurs every 212.35 days.
Fear of Friday the 13th causes some people to experience anxiety, which can include physical symptoms such as increased heart rate, sweating, breathing rapidly, or trembling. Psychotherapist Donald Dossey coined the term paraskevidekatriaphobia—derived from the Greek words Paraskevi (“Friday”), triskaideka (“thirteen”), and phobos (“fear”)—to describe the often paralyzing fear individuals experience relating to the date and to diagnose those who suffer from it. The fear is also sometimes diagnosed as friggatriskaidekaphobia, the joining of Frigg (the Norse goddess for whom Friday is named) with the term triskaidekaphobia (fear of the number 13).
History
Friday the 13th and its association with bad luck was first written about in 19th-century France. An article published in 1834 in the French literary magazine Revue de Paris by Italian author Marquis de Salvo refers to a Sicilian count who killed his daughter on Friday the 13th. The article, titled “Le Chateau de Carini,” states, “It is always Fridays and the number 13 that bring bad luck!” A character in a French play from that same year—Les Finesses de gribouille (“The Finesse of the Scribble”), by Claude-Louis-Marie de Rochefort-Luçay and Philippe-François Pinel Dumanoir—says, “I was born on a Friday, December 13, 1813, from which come all of my misfortunes.”
Stephanie Hall, a specialist at the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress, has noted that the first reference to the superstition may originate from the idea that Fridays and the number 13 are individually unlucky. She has also theorized that the superstition may refer only to Friday, December 13, as being unlucky, citing Les Finesses de gribouille. Later examples of Friday the 13th being unlucky were common by the middle of the 19th century in France.
The Thirteen Club was determined to erase fears around any and all superstitions. Members routinely spilled salt (and then neglected to throw it over their left shoulder). Guests also opened umbrellas while at the dinners. Four U.S. presidents were honorary members of the club, including Theodore Roosevelt and Grover Cleveland.
Evidence of Friday the 13th being considered unlucky in America dates back to the late 19th century when William Fowler, who had served as a Union captain during the Civil War, founded the Thirteen Club, an exclusive society that sought to break superstitious taboos about luck. The society consisted of 13 members (including Fowler) who gathered for a 13-course meal on the 13th day of each month in room 13 of the Knickerbocker Cottage, in New York City. The inaugural meeting was held at 8:13 pm on Friday, January 13, 1882. Before sitting down to dine at each meeting, members passed under a ladder with a banner that read “Morituri te Salutamus” (Latin: “Those of us who are about to die salute you”).
Religion and mythology
Experts have a hard time singling out the exact origin of the Friday the 13th superstition in mythology; however, both the number 13 and Friday have long been regarded as unlucky in certain cultures. The unluckiness of the number 13 can be traced back to Norse mythology in the story about the Norse god of mischief Loki crashing a banquet in the majestic hall of Valhalla. In the tale, 12 gods are originally present at the banquet, but Loki shows up uninvited (becoming the 13th god) and tricks the blind god Höd into shooting his brother Balder, the god of light and goodness, with an arrow.
In Christianity, the number 13’s association with unluckiness was reiterated through the story of the Last Supper, in which the disciple Judas Iscariot, whose betrayal led to Jesus’ crucifixion the next day (Good Friday), is often described as the 13th guest. Biblical stories have also contributed to the association of Fridays with unluckiness. Friday is believed to be the day that Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge, committing the first sin. Friday is also said to be the day Cain murdered Abel, the day the Temple of Solomon was destroyed, and the day the Great Flood began.
Popular culture and other countries
Knowledge about Friday the 13th’s association with bad luck is well recognized around the world. The Friday the 13th franchise, which includes 12 films, the first of which was released in 1980, has further contributed to its recognition.
Although many have awareness of the superstition, the specifics vary by country. In Spain and Greece, Tuesday the 13th is considered unlucky because it merges the symbolism of Mars, the Roman god of war for whom the Spanish word martes (“Tuesday”) is named, with the number 13. In Italy Friday the 17th provokes fear in some because the letters in the Roman numeral for 17 (XVII) can be reordered to spell the Latin word vixi, meaning “My life is over.” In Japan and China April 4, or the fourth day of the fourth month, is thought to be unlucky because the character for the number four, when spoken, sounds like the Japanese and Chinese words for “death.”