Friday the 13th: The Day That Combines Fears and Superstitions

You may or may not be mindful, but today is the ‘Friday the 13th’. 13, the number that is considered unlucky itself in combined with Friday giving rise to fears and superstitions in the human mind. But is there any concrete evidence that can solidify the origin of ‘Friday the 13th’? Let’s find out!

Some say, fears and superstitions are as old as human civilization. And in many cases, there’s no single event or reasoning behind a superstition, rather more than one. And ‘Friday the 13th’ is no exception.

What Does the Holy Bible Say?

As per its Biblical reference, the Last Supper had 13 guests on the table before Jesus was crucified. More importantly, the day of the crucifixion was a Friday.

Another Biblical citation tells us, it was the 13th man in the followers of Jesus who betrayed him. Now, we know apparently that Jesus was followed by his ‘12 apostles’, a number of narrations and tales mention them in Bible. But according to a few other sources, Jesus had more than 12 apostles. Judas Iscariot was the 13th man and the betrayer.

The Ghastly British Legends

According to British legends, a 13-year-old English boy was struck by lightning at 1:13 pm. This seems really eerie!

What’s more? 13th used to be the public hanging day in ancient England!

Unlucky 13 - The Fear within

Apart from Friday, number 13 itself has more than one connotation. In 1981, Pope John Paul II was shot, but fortunately, he survived.

A lot of people have such stern faith in such superstitions that they perceive number 13 as an ominous digit. They would strictly refrain from taking the no. 13 room in a hotel, visiting or staying in the 13th floor of a building, or pursue any job, or have any pious occasion on the very date.

But while some believe the supposed superstitions revolving around ‘Friday the 13th’ to be true and quite sinister, others have definitely channelized the fear through entertainment. ‘Friday the 13th’, a popular American horror franchise comprising 12 ‘slasher’ films, as the Wikipedia calls it. Creator Victor Miller developed it along with a TV series, novel, comic book etc.

Attention my dear friends! ‘Friday the 13th’ doesn’t end with today this year. It will return on the 2nd Friday of July in 2018. So stay chilled or feel the chills down your spine, the choice is yours!