Friday the 13th is, to many people, a supernaturally charged occasion fraught with opportunity for chaos. Those who still believe may take the opportunity to take part in some lucky rites or shut themselves away to avoid any unfortunate events. The day has a well-established basis in myth and legend, but several different versions make it tough to distinguish one absolute origin.
What are the origins of Friday 13?
The precise origins of Friday 13th remain unclear, with several possible roots in modern history, but the widely accepted links come from biblical adversity with the number 13.
Christians have a longstanding fear of the number, thanks primarily to Judas.
The biblical traitor was the 12th Apostle to sit at the last supper on Maundy Thursday with Jesus after selling his freedom for 30 pieces of silver, bringing the total to 13 diners.
Jesus was crucified the following Friday – now known as Good Friday – forever associating the number 13 and Friday in Christianity.
Longstanding Christian tradition has since claimed it is unlucky to seat 13 people at a table.
Friday has further negative connotations with the biblical tales of Adam and Eve, and Cain and Able.
The book states Eve gave Adam the fateful apple and Cain killed his brother on the day.
Several infamous events which took place on Friday the 13th have passed into the annals of history, further cementing the legend into public consciousness.
French officers of King Philip IV arrested hundreds of members of the Knight’s Templar organisation – which also had historic associations with Friday 13th – on the day in 1307.
German bombers also struck Buckingham Palace during the Second World War on a murky Friday 13th in 1940.
Fear of the day is known as friggatriskaidekaphobia or paraskevidekatriaphobia.
The former word is a combination of the Norse goddess Frigg, where Friday takes its name, and the Greek for 13 (triskaideka) and phobia (meaning fear).
Fear of Friday 13 has a profound effect on millions of people, with businesses such as airlines suffering losses as people fear flying on the day.
Businesses also refrain from installing 13 floors in high-rise offices or blocks, and some airports choose not to have a 13th gate.
But Friday 13th isn’t terminally unlucky, as some incredible events have taken place as well.
Friday 13, 2020 marks 11 years since NASA discovered the first evidence of water on the lunar surface.
The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) detected “a dozen two-gallon” buckets of water on the Moon back on Friday, November 13, 2009.
Five years earlier on Friday, August 13, 2004, the Olympics returned to their home at Athens.
Although an ancient event, the modern iteration of the games debuted in the Greek capital in 1896, and the 2004 games marked a 108-year return.