Like othersuperstitions about numbers , the fear of Friday the thirteenth ( paraskevidekatriaphobia ) is n’t ground in scientific logic . However , it does have deep , compelling root . The origins of the Friday the 13th superstition help explicate why the belief is so widespread today . So what are some of the most fascinating report behind this unluckiest of days ?
Why Is Friday the 13th Unlucky?
The superstitious notion first appeared in Victorian England . Superstitious people have long considered both the figure 13 and the day Friday ill-starred , but it was only recently that folklore tie these two ill omens . According to librarian and folklore expert Steve Roud , the first “ concrete reference ” to “ the vicious luck of Friday the 13th ” in English chronicle comes from 1913 [ source : Roud ] .
Friday the 13th in Biblical Tradition
Christians consider 13 unlucky because of the routine of people present at theLast Supper(Jesus and his 12 apostle ) . Judas , the Apostelic Father who betrayed Jesus Christ , was the 13th fellow member of the party to arrive .
Christian custom deemed Friday the speculative 24-hour interval of the week because Jesus was blast on a Friday ( observed as Good Friday ) . Additionally , some theologians hold that Adam and Eve feed from the forbidden fruit on a Friday and that the Great Flood begin on a Friday . Some Christians avoid start a novel project or trip on a Friday , dread it would be doom from the startle .
Sailors were particularly superstitious in this regard , often refusing to start a journeying on a Friday . According to unverified legend ( very in all likelihood out of true ) , the British Navy commissioned a ship in the 1800s address H.M.S. Friday to quell the superstition . The dark blue selected the gang on a Friday , launch the ship on a Friday and even selected a man named James Friday as the ship ’s captain . Then , one Friday morning , the ship departed on its maiden voyage … and go away incessantly . A standardised , entirely factual story is the harrowingflight of Apollo 13 .
Friday the 13th and Paganism
Some historians suggest the Christian distrustfulness of Fridays has roots in the stifling ofpagan religionsand women in the Middle Ages . In the papistic calendar , Friday was the day of Venus , the goddess of love .
When Norsemen adapted the calendar , they constitute Venus ’s mean solar day after Frigg , or Freya , Norse goddesses connect to making love and sex . These unassailable female figures once threatened male - dominated Christianity , so the Church vilified the day key after them .
This characterization may also have played a part in the care of the number 13 . Frigg would often unite a coven ofwitches , usually a grouping of 12 , bring the total to 13 . This idea may have originated with the Christian Church itself ; the exact origins are unclear . A similar Christian legend holds that 13 is unholy because it signify the gathering of 12 witch and the devil .
Friday the 13th and Norse Mythology
Some decipher the opprobrium of the number 13 back to ancient Norse cultivation . InNorse mythology , the mischievous god Loki kill the beloved hoagie Balder at a banquet . Loki crash a dinner party of 12 , bringing the group total to 13 .
This level and the story of the Last Supper lead to one of the most entrenched 13 - related opinion : It is bad luck to have a group of 13 at a dinner table .
How Often Does Friday Fall on the 13th?
In the Gregorian calendar ( also known as the Christian or Western Calendar ) , the 13th of the month falls on a Friday an average of 1.72 times a twelvemonth [ source : Weisstein ] . For example , in 2009 , Friday the 13 happen three multiplication : in February , March , and November . But the next calendar yr , 2010 , it pass off just once , in August .
Interestingly , the 13th is very slightly more likely to take place on Friday than any other day ( there is a 14.33 % chance of the 13th come on a Friday ; the chances it will hang on a Thursday or Saturday are 14.25 % ) .
