Fri Sep 13 21:27:46 UTC 2024: ## Friday the 13th: A Superstition With No Single Source
**Paris, France -** While the idea of Friday the 13th being unlucky is deeply ingrained in modern culture, its origins are surprisingly recent and somewhat murky. Though many attribute the superstition to ancient lore, experts like Moira Marsh, a folklore librarian at the University of Indiana Bloomington, and Stephen Winick, a folklore specialist at the American Folklife Center, say that the first written mention of Friday the 13th being unlucky appeared in 1913.
“It wasn’t considered an unlucky day in England until the 20th century,” Marsh notes.
The exact reason for the association with bad luck remains unclear. While some speculate it stems from Judas being the 13th guest at the Last Supper, or the Knights Templar being condemned on a Friday the 13th, there is no concrete evidence to support these claims.
Instead, the first references to the combination of Friday and 13 as unlucky come from French writing and plays. A character in the 1834 play “Les Finesses des Gribouilles” mentions a Friday, December 13th birth as the source of their misfortune, while the French literary magazine “Revue de Paris” published a story about a father killing his daughter on Friday the 13th and attributing it to bad luck.
However, the notion of Friday being an unlucky day has deeper roots, dating back to the Middle Ages. In the English-speaking world and throughout Europe, Friday was associated with the day of Christ’s crucifixion, making it a day of penance in the Catholic tradition.
The number 13, while seen as a good number due to the 13 individuals at the Last Supper, became associated with bad luck after the Reformation, when such beliefs were condemned as superstitious. Another reason for 13’s unfortunate reputation might be its mathematical significance. Unlike 12, which is easily divisible and used in various measurements, 13 is less useful, making it seem “out of place.”
Despite the lack of a definitive origin, Friday the 13th is now a global phenomenon thanks to popular culture and media. The infamous “Friday the 13th” movie series cemented its place in our collective consciousness.
Interestingly, different cultures have their own versions of unlucky days. In Italy, it’s Friday the 17th, while in Spanish-speaking countries, it’s Tuesday the 13th, which is associated with the chaotic God of War, Mars.
As Stephen Winick concludes, “We seek explanations for the chaotic experience of life. We want to explain to ourselves why things have happened in a certain way, why things didn’t go our way… it gives us a sense of control even though we may not have control.”
First Piper 