Friday the 13th 13 fun facts about the day of superstition

Some see Friday the 13th as a bad omen. Others think it's garbage. 13 is also popularly known as "the devil's dozen". The successor to the harmonious 12 has a bad reputation - especially on a Friday.

There is no exact explanation for the origin of this phenomenon. Instead, there are numerous theories and claims that attempt to explain this unlucky day. Some trace the superstition back to the Bible, others to Norse mythology, the stock market novel by wealthy US author Thomas W. Lawson or tragic events that allegedly took place on this day. Presumably, all these factors together helped to form the overall picture.

There are two aspects that contribute to the feeling of unease on this day: Friday on the one hand and the number 13 on the other. Both are generally associated with negative things. Especially since the 20th century, the combination of these two elements has gained a bad reputation.

But perhaps there is still something for everyone to learn. Interesting facts about the supposedly unlucky day:

According to Christian tradition, Jesus Christ, for example, was crucified on a Friday after Judas - the 13th participant in the Last Supper - had betrayed him the evening before. In Spain and parts of Latin America, however, Tuesday the 13th is feared instead of Friday.

The ominous guest also exists in Norse mythology: after the god Loki appears in Valhalla on the 13th, Baldur, the god of beauty, dies. Darkness falls over the earth.

Perhaps this is where the job of the "Quatorzième" came from. In the 19th century, the "fourteenth" was sometimes a professional extra guest for dinner parties. The only task: to avoid 13 in the number of guests. Otherwise someone would die.

Against this superstition, the courageous "Thirteen Club " was founded in New York in the early 1880s - on a Friday the 13th, of course. After a year, it was proudly announced that all 13 dinner guests were still alive. The club continued for many years. Fun fact: the dinner guests were seated around a coffin-shaped table.

Contrary to superstition, accidents are actually rarer: Zurich Insurance, for example, has found that Fridays are particularly prone to damage. But if it is the 13th of the month, there are around 10 percent fewer reports.

The 13th of the month most often falls on a Friday. This has to do with the introduction of the Gregorian calendar. At that time, the Pope decided that Thursday, October 4, 1582, would be followed by Friday, October 15. If you count from then on, you will recognize the frequency of the supposedly unlucky days.

By the way, what is it like in other countries? In Greece, the supposedly unlucky days fall on Tuesday the 13th, whereas in Italy, people are afraid of Friday the 17th.

Year after year, you have to be prepared for it. There is sure to be at least one Friday the 13th.

Some even believe that Friday the 13th brings them luck. On this legendary day, a particularly large number of casual players from French-speaking Switzerland try their luck at the lottery. Sales at the Loterie romande increase by around 30 percent. However, this effect is not noticeable in German-speaking Switzerland.

In Judaism, 13 is also considered a lucky number. For believers, it symbolizes the name of God. 13 qualities are attributed to him. The scholar Maimonides formulated 13 beliefs. Boys are accepted into the community at this age with the bar mitzvah.

Anyone who is afraid of Friday the 13th may suffer from paraskavedecatriaphobia. The term is probably just as little for people who are afraid of foreign words. It is derived from the Greek terms "paraskeue" (Friday), "dekatria" (thirteen) and "phobos" (fear). However, some people will simply translate it as "better to stay in bed".

Arnold Schönberg (1874-1951) is considered one of these anxious people. The creator of twelve-tone music, for example, marked the 13th bar of his choral work "Dreimal tausend Jahre" as 12a. Whim or tactic? There is no real proof of this. There is already a bar 13 in the following composition. Perhaps it simply contributed to the legend that the composer was born on a 13th and died on a 13th. Irony sells!

In high-rise buildings, the 13th floor regularly becomes the 14th, hotels sometimes do without a room number 13 - all to avoid scaring off superstitious people. In some airplanes, row 12 is immediately followed by 14 - for example on Lufthansa. The airline also dispenses with row 17, which is considered an unlucky number in Italy.