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Why is Friday the 13th considered unlucky? All you need to know

Why is Friday the 13th considered unlucky? All you need to know

Hindustan Times17 hours ago

It's Friday the 13th, a day considered unlucky in Western culture. People believe bad things can happen on this day due to a long-standing superstition. While there are no details about the origin of this superstition, the combination of the number 13 and Friday has a history of bad luck.
This superstition has existed for hundreds of years. BBC reported that many believe the real reason the number 13 could bring bad luck is associated with the Bible. Judas, the disciple who betrayed Jesus, was actually the 13th guest sitting at the Last Supper.
Similarly, the gods' dinner party in Norse mythology was ruined by the 13th guest, named Loki, the person who plunged the world into darkness. In several cultures, people still consider it unlucky to have 13 people sitting at a dinner table together. To avoid such situations, they often put a teddy bear as the '14th person.'
Not just that, the superstitions around this 'unlucky' number 13 are so deep that some hotels avoid having 'Room No. 13' and apartment complexes skip it, reaching directly to 14 after the 12th floor. This tradition is even witnessed in flights as airlines avoid having a row 13.
In the Bible, there are a few stories that highlight bad events taking place on Friday, including the beginning of the Great Flood. Also, this was the day when Adam and Eve committed the first sin.
Canterbury Tales, which was written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 1300s, connects Friday with "mischance". Friday was earlier dubbed as the Hangman's Day in the UK. This was the time when people, who were sentenced to death, were hanged.
Bad luck associated with the combination of Friday and the number 13 appears to be a recent tradition only. "It is always Fridays and the number 13 that bring bad luck," an 1834 article in a French literary magazine stated.
Moreover, there is a special world that is linked to the fear of Friday the 13th. It's called 'paraskevidekatriaphobia.' Having said that, Fridays are believed to be the holiest day of the week in Islam. In Judaism, Friday evening marks the beginning of Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest.
It is linked to the Bible, where Jesus was betrayed by Judas, his disciple, who was the 13th guest sitting at the Last Supper.
There is no direct link associated with the superstition, but the combination of the number 13 and Friday holds a long history of bringing bad luck.
It is associated with the fear of Friday the 13th.

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The calendar has spoken: Here's how many Friday the 13ths to fear in 2025
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Don't Panic — It's the Only One This Year Live Events Can There Be Many "Friday the 13ths" in a Year? FAQs (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel If you've been feeling a little uneasy today, there's a reason: it's Friday the 13th , but do not worry, it's the only one this year, as per a to EarthSky's calendar calculation, the year 2025 will have just one Friday the 13th, and it falls in June, which is today, as per the find out how many Friday the 13ths would come, we need to see how the days and months align in a common year, a non-leap year with 365 days, that begins on a Wednesday, just like 2025 started, according to EarthSky observed a pattern in calendars: any month that begins on a Sunday will have a Friday the 13th. Since June 1, 2025, was on a Sunday, the 13th day of the month fell on a Friday, as per the same calendar pattern last appeared in 2014, and after today, it won't come around again until 2031 because common years starting on Wednesdays come in cycles; adding 6, 17, and 28 years gives us the next occurrences, reported 2025 only has one, the maximum number of Friday the 13ths in a single year is three, as per the Friday the 13ths last happened in 2015 on February, March, and November, and the next triple Friday the 13ths will come next year, in 2026 — again in February, March, and November, according to EarthSky Friday the 13ths occurred last year, in September and December 2024, and we'll see two again in 2029, in the months of April and July, as per the to BCC, the origin of Friday the 13th being associated with being an unlucky day has been a long-standing superstition in Western 2025 is a common year that starts on a Wednesday, the calendar pattern only allows one month, June, to start on a Sunday, as per the it follows a repeating calendar cycle. Days realign in predictable ways every 6, 11, or 28 years, depending on leap years, as per EarthSky report.

Why is Friday the 13th considered unlucky? All you need to know
Why is Friday the 13th considered unlucky? All you need to know

Hindustan Times

time17 hours ago

  • Hindustan Times

Why is Friday the 13th considered unlucky? All you need to know

It's Friday the 13th, a day considered unlucky in Western culture. People believe bad things can happen on this day due to a long-standing superstition. While there are no details about the origin of this superstition, the combination of the number 13 and Friday has a history of bad luck. This superstition has existed for hundreds of years. BBC reported that many believe the real reason the number 13 could bring bad luck is associated with the Bible. Judas, the disciple who betrayed Jesus, was actually the 13th guest sitting at the Last Supper. Similarly, the gods' dinner party in Norse mythology was ruined by the 13th guest, named Loki, the person who plunged the world into darkness. In several cultures, people still consider it unlucky to have 13 people sitting at a dinner table together. To avoid such situations, they often put a teddy bear as the '14th person.' Not just that, the superstitions around this 'unlucky' number 13 are so deep that some hotels avoid having 'Room No. 13' and apartment complexes skip it, reaching directly to 14 after the 12th floor. This tradition is even witnessed in flights as airlines avoid having a row 13. In the Bible, there are a few stories that highlight bad events taking place on Friday, including the beginning of the Great Flood. Also, this was the day when Adam and Eve committed the first sin. Canterbury Tales, which was written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 1300s, connects Friday with "mischance". Friday was earlier dubbed as the Hangman's Day in the UK. This was the time when people, who were sentenced to death, were hanged. Bad luck associated with the combination of Friday and the number 13 appears to be a recent tradition only. "It is always Fridays and the number 13 that bring bad luck," an 1834 article in a French literary magazine stated. Moreover, there is a special world that is linked to the fear of Friday the 13th. It's called 'paraskevidekatriaphobia.' Having said that, Fridays are believed to be the holiest day of the week in Islam. In Judaism, Friday evening marks the beginning of Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest. It is linked to the Bible, where Jesus was betrayed by Judas, his disciple, who was the 13th guest sitting at the Last Supper. There is no direct link associated with the superstition, but the combination of the number 13 and Friday holds a long history of bringing bad luck. It is associated with the fear of Friday the 13th.

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