Why is Friday the 13th Unlucky?

Haman Nature has the answers!

As I woke up today and noticed the date, I paused to wonder — why is Friday the 13th considered unlucky?

Well, that itch just had to get scratched, so I looked into it for you. You’re most welcome.

Firstly, the number 13 itself has been considered unlucky for a long time. One of the earliest known origins for this is from Norse mythology, in which Loki (the 13th guest at a Valhalla feast) caused great tragedy.

Also, in Christianity, Judas (the 13th guest at the Last Supper) betrayed Jesus, leading to his crucifixion — on a Friday.

The number 13 has been considered so unlucky that to this day many buildings refuse to acknowledge the existence of a 13th floor. They just number them “11, 12, 14, 15, etc”.

As for Friday, that day is also associated in Christianity with events such as Adam and Eve’s fall from Eden, Abel’s murder, and the “launch” of Noah’s Ark.

In more modern culture, the notion that Friday the 13th is unlucky got rolling in the 19th century. The idea gained prominence in the broader public when Thomas William Lawson published his 1907 book Friday, the Thirteenth, warning of a huge stock market crash.

And of course, even more recently, there are the many iterations of the Friday the 13th slasher films.

If you are the kind of person who likes to put a specific name to a thing, you’ll be pleased to know that there is a word for people who fear Friday the 13th. In fact, there are two. And they are doozies!

Paraskavedekatriaphobia and friggatriskaidekaphobia both mean “fear of Friday the 13th”, and the condition is fairly widespread, even today. If you have only half this problem, and fear the number 13 all by itself, that’s called triskaidekaphobia.

There. Now you know all that. I hope your itch got scratched while I was scratching mine!

Naturally,

Adam