Today is Friday 13th – supposedly the unluckiest day!
Today is Friday 13th – supposedly the unluckiest day! But why is it considered unlucky?
The number 13 and Friday both have a long history of bringing bad luck – and it’s the combination of the two that makes this day the most feared, however, no one is exactly sure what the origin of this superstition is.
References to Friday the 13th date back to Medieval times but some believe that it was inspired by the Bible because, Judas, who betrayed Jesus, is thought to have been the 13th guest to sit down to the Last Supper.
While in Norse mythology, a dinner party of the Gods was ruined by the 13th guest called Loki, who caused the world to be plunged into darkness.
References to Friday being an unlucky day, began to appear in the 14th century. This mention pops up in Geoffrey Chaucer’s famous Canterbury Tales, when he says “and on a Friday fell all this mischance”. In Britain, Friday was once known as Hangman’s Day because it was usually when people who had been condemned to death would be hanged.
Hollywood took notice in 1980 when Paramount Pictures released Friday the 13th, with Jason slashing his way across a summer camps and US box offices.
Fast forward to now, some hotels still have no room 13, while a lot of tall buildings ‘don’t have’ a 13th floor, and some airlines refuse to have a row 13 in their planes.
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