It’s Friday the 13th again! 13 ‘unlucky day’ facts you can brag about

Some see Friday the 13th as a bad omen. Others think this is nonsense. But perhaps everyone can learn something: Interesting facts about the supposed unlucky day.

The number 13 is also popularly known as ‘the devil’s dozen’. The successor to the harmonic 12 has a bad reputation – especially on Fridays. 13 facts:

The bad omen comes from the Bible: for example, according to Christian tradition, Jesus Christ was crucified on a Friday after Judas – the 13th participant of the Lord’s Supper – betrayed him the night before. However, in Spain and parts of Latin America, Tuesday the 13th is feared instead of Friday.

There’s also an ominous guest in Norse mythology: after the 13th god Loki appears in Valhalla, Baldur, the god of beauty, dies. Darkness falls over the earth.

Perhaps this is where the function of “Quatorzième” comes from. In the 19th century, the “Fourteenth” was sometimes an extra professional guest for dinner parties. The only task: avoid 13 in the number of guests. Otherwise someone will die.

Against this superstition, the courageous “Thirteen Club” was founded in New York in the early 1980s – of course on Friday the 13th – which, after a year, proudly says: all 13 dinner guests are still alive.

Contrary to superstition, accidents are even rarer: Zurich Insurance has discovered that Fridays are particularly damaging. But when it is the 13th of the month, there are about 10 percent fewer reports.

The 13th of a month usually falls on a Friday. This has to do with the introduction of the Gregorian calendar. The Pope then decided that Thursday, October 4, 1582 would be followed by Friday, October 15. Anyone counting from then on will recognize the frequency of the so-called unlucky days.

You have to adapt to it year after year. There will definitely be a Friday the 13th at least once, but a maximum of three times.

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. At Loterie Romande, turnover increased by about 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 properties are attributed to him. The scholar Maimonides formulates 13 beliefs. At this age, boys are admitted into the community after their bar mitzvah.

Athletes are also superstitious: for years no driver in Formula 1 started with the number 13. In the 2014 season, Pastor Maldonado tried his luck. The result: zero wins, only two points, 16th overall. According to the regulations, starting number 13 is not assigned in the official triathlon.

Anyone who fears Friday the 13th may be suffering from paraskavedekatriaphobia. The term is probably not intended for people who are afraid of foreign words. It is derived from the Greek terms ‘paraskeue’ (Friday), ‘dekatria’ (thirteen) and ‘phobos’ (fear). But some people will simply translate it: “It’s better to stay in bed.”

Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951) is considered one of these fearful people. For example, the creator of twelve-tone music marked the 13th measure of his choral work “Three Thousand Years” with 12a. Stubbornness or tactics? This cannot be proven correctly. The next composition already has bar 13. Perhaps this simply contributed to the creation of 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, and hotels sometimes do without room number 13 – all so as not to scare away superstitious people. In some aircraft, row 12 is followed by number 14 – for example at Lufthansa. The airline is also eliminating row 17, which is considered unlucky in Italy.

(lion/sda/dpa)