Today is Friday the 13th. Here’s why the date is so dreaded
Friday, October 13, 2017 IST
If you had a bad start to the morning or are not having the best day today, you can blame it on the date. The associations of Friday 13 with misfortune are so popular in cultures across the world (there’s even a word for the fear of Friday the 13th – friggatriskaidekaphobia) that it is quite difficult to pin down the origins of this superstition.
However, there are some theories. Most folklore historians believe that the bad luck associated with the number 13 and historically with Friday gets compounded when the two come together.
13 is a bad number
The number 12 is considered the number of completeness (12 months of the year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 hours of the clock, and so on...) while 13, which comes after, lacks that balance. But so widely held is the belief that 13 is unlucky that many hotels do not have a 13th floor and some people prefer not to take the 13th row in a plane.
The Norse myth
According to Norse mythology, the grand feast of 12 gods was gatecrashed by a 13th invited guest – the evil god Loki. Loki tricked Hoor (the blind god of winter) into shooting his brother Baldr (the god of summer) with a magic spear. And because of this 13th unwanted guest, the number acquired negative connotations given that it led to such a great loss in the pantheon.
The Last Supper
Judas Iscariot was the 13th disciple at the last supper (held on a Thursday) who later betrayed Jesus (the next day observed as Good Friday). This might also be the origin of the superstition that if 13 people dine together, whoever leaves the table first would die within the year or become seriously ill.
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