You have probably grown up knowing that Friday 13th is something to be worried about. Even if you do not consider yourself to be superstitious. You likely still associate Friday 13th with being an unlucky day.
What is interesting is that whilst Friday 13th might be one of the best known superstitions. The number 13 has only been considered unlucky since the middle ages. Taking it one step further and associating 13 with Friday only goes back to Victorian times.
There are thought to be 60 million people worldwide who find the thought of Friday 13th absolutely horrifying. The term for this fear is: Paraskevidekatriaphobia!
Decisions
Most of us look forward to Friday as the beginning of the weekend, and marking the end of a working week. But the few times that Friday falls on the 13th might give us pause for thought when it comes to planning or making decisions. It is believed that on a subconscious level events that take place on a Friday 13th will have a bigger impression on us than if they had happened on a different day/date.
Not always unlucky
There are some religious events that have taken place, that make it surprising that the number 13 was not considered unlucky earlier. For example Adam and Eve were supposed to have been banished from the Garden of Eden on this day/date. Jesus was crucified on Friday13 th and there were 13 people present for the last supper.
The Savoy Hotel
In a different dinner setting, in 1898 Wolf Joel was a guest at The Savoy Hotel in London; he held a dinner party and 13 guests were invited (including himself). It was considered unlucky to have only 13 guests, but Wolf paid no attention to such superstitions. But on his return to South Africa he was shot and killed. So from that point on the hotel always made a point of having a staff member make up the fourteenth guest should it be required. Later on the staff member was replaced by a sculpture of a cat called Kaspar; he would wear a napkin just like a guest and be served every course!
Unlucky 13?
Despite there really being no proof that the number 13 is itself unlucky. It doesn’t stop businesses making decisions around the superstition, for example:
You rarely find a hotel that has a 13th floor. They often avoid 13 in room numbers as well.
House builders often do not build a number 13 house.
In a hospital setting you are unlikely to find a number 13 operating theatre.
Air France, KLM & Continental airlines skip the 13th row.
In case you are wondering there is also a name for those that fear the number 13, it is: Triskaidekaphobia!
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