Do you ever feel like some days the world is out to get you? Especially on days like this Friday, the 13th of October? If so, you may suffer from paraskevidekatriaphobia, or the fear of Friday the 13th.

This phobia stems from a common superstition, in which many people believe Friday the 13th to be an especially unlucky, spooky, or even dangerous day. It’s been around for hundreds of years, and many people have stories regarding unlucky and creepy Friday the 13th experiences. While some take it more seriously than others, it’s undoubtedly a day that affects our society in many ways, from personal beliefs to pop culture.

It’s often disputed exactly where the Friday the 13th superstition originated. Thirteen has long been considered an unlucky number in many cultures, but where this comes from isn’t clear. Some claim the superstition around 13 comes from an old Norse myth. According to the myth, a dinner attended by 12 gods was interrupted by a 13th god: Loki, the god of trickery, who then tricked one of the 12 gods into accidentally shooting his brother with an arrow.

Another possible source is the story of the last supper, in which Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th guest to arrive at the passover feast. Others believe 13 is seen as unlucky because it is one more than 12, which is seen as a “complete” number in many cultures (12 months in a year, 12 zodiac signs, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 apostles of Jesus, etc.). Thus, 13 throws off the perfect balance of 12, making it an undesirable and thus “unlucky” number.

The origins of the unluckiness of Friday are slightly more clear. While there are a variety of explanations offered, the most commonly accepted is due to Friday being the day Jesus is commonly believed to have died on. The association of Friday with death continued throughout history, as it was the traditional day for executions up until about the 19th century.

The superstition around Friday the 13th is evident in many aspects of modern life. It’s common for buildings to lack a 13th floor, airports to skip the 13th gate, addresses to skip 13, airplanes to skip the 13th row of seats, and more.

The myth also inspired the popular series of Friday the 13th horror movies, in which teenage campers are terrorized by a serial killer on the titular day. The film series has, in turn, helped to further perpetuate the superstition, and it has been featured in numerous other films, games, books, and more, usually in a sinister way.

Do Wahlert students buy into the superstition? 42 Wahlert students responded to a poll regarding their beliefs on Friday the 13th:

Breonna Doss, ‘21, does. : “I kind of believe in things like Friday the 13th, like a scary time that goes with Halloween, and scary things.”

Monica Ripley, ‘19, shares a similar outlook:“I’d like to believe it, because that’s kinda cool, to just have a day where it’s like ‘It’s spooky time!’.”

Ripley has even had some spooky Friday the 13th experiences: “There was one day, where I was at a friend’s house, and she just happened to live across the street from a graveyard. We decided it would be a great idea to go over there on Friday the 13th. So we’re just walking around, and I didn’t realize I was standing on someone’s grave. I’m standing there, and the ground just starts sinking in on me, and it scared me so much. Either it was a demon, or I was about to land on someone’s coffin. We ran.”

Others are a little more skeptical.

“I don’t think it’s unlucky. It’s a spooky day, kinda like Halloween, but not an unlucky day. It’s kinda like black cats, but I love black cats,” says Simon Reichel, ‘18. “I was born on the 14th (of the month), and my best friend was born on the 13th. So we had a lot of birthdays where it would be Friday the 13th, and we used to believe it was unlucky, and something bad was going to happen. As we got older, it became like ‘Let’s watch Halloween movies together’. It’s become kinda like rehearsal for Halloween.”

“I absolutely don’t think there’s anything unlucky about Friday the 13th,” says Jarrett Tranel, ‘18. “It’s just another day. I’m not a superstitious person. I don’t have an unlucky number, and I don’t think just because a Friday lands on the 13th it’s unlucky.”

Several studies have been conducted on Friday the 13th, attempting to uncover if Friday the 13th really is more dangerous than other days. So far no link has been found between Friday the 13th and higher accident or murder rates. However, these results are far from conclusive.

Whatever your thoughts on the superstition, whether you embrace the spookiness of the day or just ignore it, it’s probably a good idea to be careful this Friday the 13th, especially when it comes to crazy people in hockey masks.

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