According to the Gregorian calendar, Friday the 13th always appears at least once a year, and some years this day appears up to 3 times. And on this day, people are often afraid and limit going out. So where does this fear come from?
According to Western beliefs, Friday the 13th is considered a very unlucky day. Many people try to avoid it because numerous unfortunate events have occurred on this day, leaving them feeling scared and anxious.
People even gave the syndrome of fear of Friday the 13th a name, which is “paraskevidekatriaphobia”, in which “paraskevi” is Friday, “dekatria” is the number 13 and “phobo” is fear (in Greek).
The origins of Friday the 13th are tied to religion
Friday
The Great Flood that God used to punish mankind occurred on Friday, the destruction of Solomon’s temple was on Friday, and it is impossible not to mention that the day Jesus was crucified was also on Friday.
The 13th
The number 13 also originates from a Norse legend about 12 gods attending a party in the paradise of Valhalla. At that time, an uninvited 13th guest appeared, the mischievous god Loki. There, Loki secretly conspired with Hoder, the god of darkness, to shoot the beautiful god Balder, the god of joy and happiness, with an arrow dipped in mistletoe. Balder died and the whole earth was plunged into darkness and mourning. It was a day of bad luck and misfortune.
The fear of the number 13 is clearly evident in today’s modern world. More than 80% of high-rise buildings do not have a 13th floor. Many airports omit the 13th gate. Hospitals and hotels often do not have room 13.
With such bad luck and bad omen, when the two are combined, Friday the 13th has created a great fear.
The phenomenon of three Friday the 13ths in a year only appears once every 11 years. That is the statement of mathematician Thomas Fernsler of the University of Delaware (USA), who has studied the number 13 for more than 20 years.
One of the reasons why 13 has a bad reputation is because it comes after the number 12. Math experts always consider 12 a complete number: 12 months of the year, 12 gods on Mount Olympus, 12 zodiac signs, 12 animals, 12 apostles of Jesus.
On Friday, September 13, 1940, five Nazi bombs hit Buckingham Palace and destroyed the chapel in the palace.
Some stories related to “famous days”
The British Royal Navy once built a ship called Friday the 13th. The ship first set sail on a Friday the 13th, and never returned.
The Apollo 13 spacecraft was launched at 13:13 on April 11, 1970, for its third moon landing mission. Interestingly, the sum of the last two digits of the day, month, and year of its launch date (4-11-70) equaled 13 (4+1+1+7+0 = 13). However, on April 13, 1970 (which was not a Friday), an explosion occurred on the spacecraft, forcing the crew to abort the mission and return to Earth.
Butch Cassidy, one of America’s most notorious bank and train robbers, was born on Friday, April 13, 1866.
US President Franklin D. Roosevelt never went anywhere on the 13th of any month and never had 13 guests at a party. Military genius Napoleon Bonaparte and US President Herbert Hoover also feared the number 13.
Writer Mark Twain was once the 13th guest at a party. A friend advised him not to go. Mark Twain did so and later explained to his friends: “Unfortunately, they only had enough food for 12 people.”
Woodrow Wilson, the president who led the US during World War I, considered 13 to be his lucky number despite the fact that it was not. He arrived in Normandy (France) on December 13, 1918 to negotiate peace and returned with a treaty that Congress had not ratified. Previously, the crew advised him to postpone his arrival in France but he did not agree. Woodrow Wilson then traveled across the United States to rally support for the treaty, but nearly died from a stroke on the way.
Buckingham Palace was bombed on Friday, September 13, 1940, nearly killing King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. One person died and the palace chapel was destroyed.
A Chilean plane “disappeared” over the Andes on Friday, October 13, 1972.
Rapper Tupac Shakur died on Friday, September 13, 1996, after being shot six days earlier. The cruise ship Costa Concordia crashed on the west coast of Italy on Friday, September 13, 1996, killing 30 people.
In 1976, Daz Baxter from New York, USA, chose to remain indoors on Friday the 13th to steer clear of bad luck. Unfortunately, he lost his life when the floor of his apartment gave way that day. In 2010, a 13-year-old boy was struck by lightning at 1:13 p.m. on Friday the 13th.
The images on the $1 bill include 13 steps on the pyramid, 13 stars on the eagle’s head, and 13 leaves on an olive branch. But there is no scientific evidence that these images caused the current economic recession.
Scientific basis
Research by scientists at the University of Connecticut in New London suggests that it is the excessive trust that leads to superstition in ancient beliefs that has caused many people to gradually develop a “default” fear of Friday the 13th.
Psychology professor Stuart Vyse of the University of Connecticut commented: “If no one told us about the negative superstitions and taboos on Friday the 13th, many people would not feel worried and would still do everything well as usual. Not only that, this fear is also included in movies, many books, stories… so it makes that obsession even stronger”.
Researcher Rebecca Borah of the University of Cincinnati (USA) also commented: “It is superstition over the past centuries that has caused people to form a habit of fear. Currently, we continue to admit and believe that bad luck will happen on Friday the 13th. It is that habit and way of thinking that makes the fear of Friday the 13th exist in everyone’s mind, making it more and more sustainable”.
Thus, according to scientists, it is the fear inside each person that makes us feel more anxious when this day comes.
Is the number 13 really scary?
In fact, in each different culture, there is often a number that symbolizes bad luck such as the number 4 in China, the number 9 in Japan, the number 17 in Italy, the number 26 in India, … And many places also consider the number 13 a lucky number like the American flag used to have 13 red and white stripes and 13 stars. The truth is that Christopher Columbus discovered America on the 13th, not the 12th. In Persian, 13 means king and is considered a lucky number. 13 also represents the rhythm of nature and the moon.
Friday the 13th is considered by Westerners to be an extremely unlucky and unlucky day. Many people have to avoid it because many unhappy things have happened on this day, making them scared and frightened.
