But it was only in the 19th century that Friday the 13th became synonymous with bad luck. The combination was a Victorian invention that captured the imagination of the people. Later on, pop culture further cemented the connection. Major disasters happening on this day such as the bombing of Buckingham by Germany, have further cemented the belief that the date is unlucky.
Significance: Many people chose to avoid doing important things on Friday the 13th. Marriages travel, and big purchases are generally avoided on this day. Gathering people in groups of 13 for any event is considered unacceptable.
In the Gregorian calendar, the date falls in any month that begins on a Sunday. But the superstition has continued, with every Friday the 13th being met with dread and cautiousness by many people. Long considered a harbinger of bad luck, Friday the 13th has inspired a late 19th-century secret society, an early 20th-century novel, a horror film franchise and not one but two unwieldy terms—paraskavedekatriaphobia and friggatriskaidekaphobia—that describe fear of this supposedly unlucky day.
Just like walking under a ladder, crossing paths with a black cat or breaking a mirror, many people hold fast to the belief that Friday the 13th brings bad luck. While Western cultures have historically associated the number 12 with completeness there are 12 days of Christmas , 12 months and zodiac signs, 12 labors of Hercules , 12 gods of Olympus and 12 tribes of Israel , just to name a few examples , its successor 13 has a long history as a sign of bad luck.
The ancient Code of Hammurabi , for example, reportedly omitted a 13th law from its list of legal rules. According to biblical tradition, 13 guests attended the Last Supper, held on Maundy Thursday, including Jesus and his 12 apostles one of whom, Judas, betrayed him. The seating arrangement at the Last Supper is believed to have given rise to a longstanding Christian superstition that having 13 guests at a table was a bad omen—specifically, that it was courting death.
In the lateth century, a New Yorker named Captain William Fowler sought to remove the enduring stigma surrounding the number 13—and particularly the unwritten rule about not having 13 guests at a dinner table—by founding an exclusive society called the Thirteen Club. The group dined regularly on the 13th day of the month in room 13 of the Knickerbocker Cottage, a popular watering hole Fowler owned from to Four former U. An important milestone in the history of the Friday the 13th legend in particular not just the number 13 occurred in , with the publication of the novel Friday, the Thirteenth written by Thomas William Lawson.
The book told the story of a New York City stockbroker who plays on superstitions about the date to create chaos on Wall Street, and make a killing on the market. The horror movie Friday the 13th , released in , introduced the world to a hockey mask-wearing killer named Jason, and is perhaps the best-known example of the famous superstition in pop culture history.
The movie spawned multiple sequels, as well as comic books, novellas, video games, related merchandise and countless terrifying Halloween costumes. On Friday, October 13, , officers of King Philip IV of France arrested hundreds of the Knights Templar , a powerful religious and military order formed in the 12th century for the defense of the Holy Land.
Imprisoned on charges of various illegal behaviors but really because the king wanted access to their financial resources , many Templars were later executed. Some cite the link with the Templars as the origin of the Friday the 13th superstition, but like many legends involving the Templars and their history, the truth remains murky. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later?
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