Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day in Western superstition. It occurs when the 13th day of the month in the Gregorian calendar falls on a Friday, which happens at least once every year but can occur up to three times in the same year. For example, 2015 had a Friday the 13th in February, March, and November; 2017 through 2020 had two Friday the 13ths each; and the years 2021 and 2022 will both have just one occurrence each.[1]

This article is about the superstition. For the horror film franchise, see Friday the 13th (franchise). For other uses, see Friday the 13th (disambiguation).

Friday the 13th in a calendar

Friday the 13th occurs in any month that begins on a Sunday.

History

The irrational fear of the number 13 has been given a scientific name: "triskaidekaphobia"; and on analogy to this the fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskevidekatriaphobia, from the Greek words Paraskeví (Παρασκευή, meaning "Friday"), and dekatreís (δεκατρείς, meaning "thirteen").[2]

The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci

According to folklore historian Donald Dossey, the unlucky nature of the number "13" originated with a Norse myth about 12 gods having a dinner party in Valhalla. The trickster god Loki, who was not invited, arrived as the 13th guest, and arranged for Höðr to shoot Balder with a mistletoe-tipped arrow. Dossey: "Balder died, and the whole Earth got dark. The whole Earth mourned. It was a bad, unlucky day." This major event in Norse mythology caused the number 13 to be considered unlucky.[3][4]

The superstition may have also arisen in the Middle Ages, "originating from the story of Jesus' last supper and crucifixion" in which there were 13 individuals present in the Upper Room on the 13th of Nisan Maundy Thursday, the night before his death on Good Friday.[5][6] While there is evidence of both Friday[7] and the number 13 being considered unlucky, there is no record of the two items being referred to as especially unlucky in conjunction before the 19th century.[8][9][10]

An early documented reference in English occurs in Henry Sutherland Edwards' 1869 biography of Gioachino Rossini, who died on a Friday 13th:

"He [Rossini] was surrounded to the last by admiring friends; and if it be true that, like so many Italians, he regarded Fridays as an unlucky day and thirteen as an unlucky number, it is remarkable that on Friday 13th of November he passed away."[11]

Rossini by Henri Grevedon

It is possible that the publication in 1907 of Thomas W. Lawson's popular novel Friday, the Thirteenth,[12] contributed to disseminating the superstition. In the novel, an unscrupulous broker takes advantage of the superstition to create a Wall Street panic on a Friday the 13th.[8]

A suggested origin of the superstition—Friday, 13 October 1307, the date Philip IV of France arrested hundreds of the Knights Templar—may not have been formulated until the 20th century. It is mentioned in the 1955 Maurice Druon historical novel The Iron King (Le Roi de fer), John J. Robinson's 1989 work Born in Blood: The Lost Secrets of Freemasonry, Dan Brown's 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code and Steve Berry's The Templar Legacy (2006).[2][13][14]

Tuesday the 13th in Hispanic and Greek culture

In Spanish-speaking countries, instead of Friday, Tuesday the 13th (martes trece) is considered a day of bad luck.[15]

The Greeks also consider Tuesday (and especially the 13th) an unlucky day.[16] Tuesday is considered dominated by the influence of Ares, the god of war (Mars in Roman mythology). The fall of Constantinople to the Fourth Crusade occurred on Tuesday, April 13, 1204, and the Fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans happened on Tuesday, 29 May 1453, events that strengthen the superstition about Tuesday. In addition, in Greek the name of the day is Triti (Τρίτη) meaning the third (day of the week), adding weight to the superstition, since bad luck is said to "come in threes".[16]

Tuesday the 13th occurs in a month that begins on a Thursday.

Friday the 17th in Italy
An Alitalia airplane without the row 17

In Italian popular culture, Friday the 17th (and not the 13th) is considered a day of bad luck.[17] The origin of this belief could be traced in the writing of number 17, in Roman numerals: XVII. By shuffling the digits of the number one can easily get the word VIXI ("I have lived", implying death in the present), an omen of bad luck.[18] In fact, in Italy, 13 is generally considered a lucky number.[19] However, due to Americanization, young people consider Friday the 13th unlucky as well.[20]

The 2000 parody film Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth was released in Italy with the title Shriek – Hai impegni per venerdì 17? ("Shriek – Do You Have Something to Do on Friday the 17th?").

Friday the 17th occurs on a month starting on Wednesday.

Social impact

According to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, North Carolina, an estimated 17 to 21 million people in the United States are affected by a fear of this day, making it the most feared day and date in history. Some people are so paralyzed by fear that they avoid their normal routines in doing business, taking flights or even getting out of bed. "It's been estimated that US$800 or $900 million is lost in business on this day".[9] Despite this, representatives for both Delta Air Lines and Continental Airlines (the latter now merged into United Airlines) have stated that their airlines do not suffer from any noticeable drop in travel on those Fridays.[21]

In Finland, a consortium of governmental and nongovernmental organizations led by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health promotes the National Accident Day (kansallinen tapaturmapäivä) to raise awareness about automotive safety, which always falls on a Friday the 13th.[22] The event is coordinated by the Finnish Red Cross and has been held since 1995.[23]

Rate of accidents

A study in the British Medical Journal, published in 1993,[24] attracted some attention from popular science-literature,[25][26] as it concluded that "'the risk of hospital admission as a result of a transport accident may be increased by as much as 52 percent' on the 13th"; however, the authors clearly state that "the numbers of admissions from accidents are too small to allow meaningful analysis". Subsequent studies have disproved any correlation between Friday the 13th and the rate of accidents.[27][28]

On the contrary, the Dutch Centre for Insurance Statistics on 12 June 2008 stated that "fewer accidents and reports of fire and theft occur when the 13th of the month falls on a Friday than on other Fridays, because people are preventatively more careful or just stay home. Statistically speaking, driving is slightly safer on Friday the 13th, at least in the Netherlands; in the last two years, Dutch insurers received reports of an average 7,800 traffic accidents each Friday; but the average figure when the 13th fell on a Friday was just 7,500."[29][30]

Occurrence

In years which begin on the same day of the week and are of the same type (that is, whether they are a common year or leap year), Friday the 13th occurs in the same months.

Months that have a Friday the 13th for each year from 1900 through 2100
MonthYearsYear categoryDominical letter
January1905, 1911, 1922, 1928, 1933, 1939, 1950, 1956, 1961, 1967, 1978, 1984, 1989, 1995, 2006, 2012, 2017, 2023, 2034, 2040, 2045, 2051, 2062, 2068, 2073, 2079, 2090, 2096Common: Sunday, Leap: SundayA, AG
February1903, 1914, 1920, 1925, 1931, 1942, 1948, 1953, 1959, 1970, 1976, 1981, 1987, 1998, 2004, 2009, 2015, 2026, 2032, 2037, 2043, 2054, 2060, 2065, 2071, 2082, 2088, 2093, 2099Common: Thursday, Leap: ThursdayD, DC
March1903, 1908, 1914, 1925, 1931, 1936, 1942, 1953, 1959, 1964, 1970, 1981, 1987, 1992, 1998, 2009, 2015, 2020, 2026, 2037, 2043, 2048, 2054, 2065, 2071, 2076, 2082, 2093, 2099Common: Thursday, Leap: WednesdayD, ED
April1900, 1906, 1917, 1923, 1928, 1934, 1945, 1951, 1956, 1962, 1973, 1979, 1984, 1990, 2001, 2007, 2012, 2018, 2029, 2035, 2040, 2046, 2057, 2063, 2068, 2074, 2085, 2091, 2096Common: Monday, Leap: SundayG, AG
May1904, 1910, 1921, 1927, 1932, 1938, 1949, 1955, 1960, 1966, 1977, 1983, 1988, 1994, 2005, 2011, 2016, 2022, 2033, 2039, 2044, 2050, 2061, 2067, 2072, 2078, 2089, 2095Common: Saturday, Leap: FridayB, CB
June1902, 1913, 1919, 1924, 1930, 1941, 1947, 1952, 1958, 1969, 1975, 1980, 1986, 1997, 2003, 2008, 2014, 2025, 2031, 2036, 2042, 2053, 2059, 2064, 2070, 2081, 2087, 2092, 2098Common: Wednesday, Leap: TuesdayE, FE
July1900, 1906, 1917, 1923, 1928, 1934, 1945, 1951, 1956, 1962, 1973, 1979, 1984, 1990, 2001, 2007, 2012, 2018, 2029, 2035, 2040, 2046, 2057, 2063, 2068, 2074, 2085, 2091, 2096Common: Monday, Leap: SundayG, AG
August1909, 1915, 1920, 1926, 1937, 1943, 1948, 1954, 1965, 1971, 1976, 1982, 1993, 1999, 2004, 2010, 2021, 2027, 2032, 2038, 2049, 2055, 2060, 2066, 2077, 2083, 2088, 2094, 2100Common: Friday, Leap: ThursdayC, DC
September1901, 1907, 1912, 1918, 1929, 1935, 1940, 1946, 1957, 1963, 1968, 1974, 1985, 1991, 1996, 2002, 2013, 2019, 2024, 2030, 2041, 2047, 2052, 2058, 2069, 2075, 2080, 2086, 2097Common: Tuesday, Leap: MondayF, GF
October1905, 1911, 1916, 1922, 1933, 1939, 1944, 1950, 1961, 1967, 1972, 1978, 1989, 1995, 2000, 2006, 2017, 2023, 2028, 2034, 2045, 2051, 2056, 2062, 2073, 2079, 2084, 2090Common: Sunday, Leap: SaturdayA, BA
November1903, 1908, 1914, 1925, 1931, 1936, 1942, 1953, 1959, 1964, 1970, 1981, 1987, 1992, 1998, 2009, 2015, 2020, 2026, 2037, 2043, 2048, 2054, 2065, 2071, 2076, 2082, 2093, 2099Common: Thursday, Leap: WednesdayD, ED
December1901, 1907, 1912, 1918, 1929, 1935, 1940, 1946, 1957, 1963, 1968, 1974, 1985, 1991, 1996, 2002, 2013, 2019, 2024, 2030, 2041, 2047, 2052, 2058, 2069, 2075, 2080, 2086, 2097Common: Tuesday, Leap: MondayF, GF

This sequence, given here for 1900–2099, follows a 28-year cycle from 1 March 1900 to 28 February 2100. The months with a Friday the 13th are determined by the Dominical letter (G, F, GF, etc.) of the year. Any month that starts on a Sunday contains a Friday the 13th, and there is at least one Friday the 13th in every calendar year. There can be as many as three Friday the 13ths in a single calendar year; either in February, March and November in a common year starting on Thursday (such as 2009, 2015 or 2026) (D), or January, April and July in a leap year starting on Sunday (such as 1984, 2012 or 2040) (AG).

The longest period that occurs without a Friday the 13th is 14 months, either from July to September the following year being a common year starting on Tuesday (F) (e.g. 2001–02, 2012–13 and 2018–19), or from August to October the following year being a leap year starting on Saturday (BA) (e.g. 1999–2000 and 2027–28).

The shortest period that occurs with a Friday the 13th is just one month, from February to March in a common year starting on Thursday (D) (e.g. 2009, 2015 and 2026).

Each Gregorian 400-year cycle contains 146,097 days (with 97 leap days) or exactly 20,871 weeks. Therefore, each cycle contains the same pattern of days of the week and thus the same pattern of Fridays that are on the 13th. The 13th day of the month is slightly more likely to be a Friday than any other day of the week.[31][32] On average, there is a Friday the 13th once every 212.35 days, whereas Thursday the 13th occurs only once every 213.59 days.

Distribution of the 13th day over the 4,800 months
Day of the week MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturdaySunday
Occurrences 685685687684688684687

Frequency

In the 2010s, there were three Friday the 13ths in 2012 and 2015, and two in 2013, 2017, 2018 and 2019.[1] In the 2020s, there were two F13s in 2020. There will also be three F13s in 2026, and two in 2023, 2024, and 2029.[1] The rest of years have at least one F13 if there are fewer than two or three in the 2010s and 2020s.[1] Assuming nothing is changed with the calendar, there are never more than three F13s in a year.[33] There is a 28-year cycle that repeats when there is a F13 in February, March and November, and the current start of that pattern was in 2009.[33] Although there is at least one F13 per calendar year, it can be as long as 14 months between two F13s.[34] For the details see the table below.

Year mod 281600 20001700 21001800 22001900 2300Year mod 28
00 06   17 23Jan OctFeb AugJunJan Apr Jul00 06   17 23
01 07 12 18  Jan Apr JulMayFeb Mar NovSep Dec01 07 12 18  
02   13 19 24Sep DecJan OctFeb AugJun02   13 19 24
03 08 14   25JunJan Apr JulMayFeb Mar Nov03 08 14   25
  09 15 20 26Feb Mar NovSep DecJan OctFeb Aug  09 15 20 26
04 10   21 27Feb AugJunJan Apr JulMay04 10   21 27
05 11 16 22  MayFeb Mar NovSep DecJan Oct05 11 16 22  

The table is for the Gregorian calendar and Jan/Feb for leap years.

See also

References
  1. "Months and Years having Friday the 13th".
  2. Weisstein, Eric W. "Triskaidekaphobia on MathWorld". MathWorld. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
  3. Friday the 13th Superstitions Rooted in Bible and More, National Geographic
  4. Why is Friday the 13th Considered Unlucky?, Mental Floss
  5. DellaContrada, John (9 February 2004). "Fear of "Friday the 13th may likely have originated from Jesus' Last Supper and Crucifixion", Says UB Anthropologist". University at Buffalo, The State University of New York. Retrieved 13 July 2014. There were 13 people at the table (at the Last Supper) and the 13th was Jesus. The Last Supper was on a Thursday, and the next day was Friday, the day of crucifixion. When '13' and Friday come together, it is a double whammy.
  6. Hartston, Willam (2007). Encyclopedia of Useless Information. Sourcebooks, Inc. p. 365. ISBN 978-1402248382. In Christian tradition, fear of Friday the 13th stems from the day of the Crucifixion (Friday) and the number at the Last Supper (13). Despite these origins, the Friday the 13th superstition dates back only to the Middle Ages.
  7. Friday has been considered an unlucky day to undertake journeys or begin new projects at least since the 14th century, as witnessed by Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.
  8. Nathaniel Lachenmeyer, 13: The Story of the World's Most Popular Superstition ch. 5 (2004).
  9. Roach, John (12 August 2004). "Friday the 13th Phobia Rooted in Ancient History". National Geographic News. Retrieved 29 October 2008.
  10. Clar, Mimi (1957). "Friday the 13th". Western Folklore. 16 (1): 62–63. doi:10.2307/1497075. JSTOR 1497075.
  11. Henry Sutherland Edwards, The Life of Rossini, Blackett, 1869, p. 340.
  12. Thomas W. Lawson (2005). Thomas W. Lawson, Friday, the Thirteenth (1907). Gutenberg.org. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
  13. "Friday the 13th". snopes.com. Retrieved 26 March 2007.
  14. "Why Friday the 13th Is Unlucky". Urbanlegends.about.com. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
  15. Rafael Falcón, Christine Yoder Falcón Salsa: a taste of Hispanic culture, p. 64, Praeger (1998), ISBN 0-275-96121-4
  16. Chrysopoulos, Philip (13 October 2015). "Why Superstitious Greeks Fear Tuesday the 13th". Greek Reporter. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  17. Carlo Grande (17 February 2012). "Venerdì 17 porta davvero sfortuna?". La Stampa (in Italian). Archived from the original on 18 August 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  18. Nick Harris (15 November 2007). "Bad omen for Italy as their unlucky number comes up". The Independent. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  19. "Venerdì 13 porta (s)fortuna? Non in Italia" (in Italian). cafebabel.com. Archived from the original on 8 June 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  20. "Venerdì 13 è un giorno che porta sfortuna – Mara rimanda le nozze con Mezzaroma" (in Italian). Corriere del Mezzogiorno. 1 February 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  21. Josh Sens, "Some Don't Count on lucky", Via Magazine, January 2004.
  22. "Tapaturmapäivä 13.9.2013: erityisteemana työpaikkojen turvallisuustyö" [Accident Day 13 Sep 2013: Special Workplace Safety Work] (in Finnish). 27 June 2013. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 2014-04-28.
  23. "Mikä on Tapaturmapäivä?". www.kotitapaturma.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  24. Scanlon, T. J.; Luben, R. N.; Scanlon, F. L.; Singleton, N. (18 December 1993). "Is Friday the 13th bad for your health?". BMJ. 307 (6919): 1584–1586. doi:10.1136/bmj.307.6919.1584. ISSN 0959-8138. PMC 1697765. PMID 8292946.
  25. Melina, Remy (13 January 2012). "Statistically Speaking, Is Friday the 13th Really Unlucky?". Live Science. Retrieved 13 April 2018. For starters, a 1993 study published in the British Medical Journal indicates otherwise. Researchers analyzed the traffic flow and number of injuries from car accidents on the southern section of London's M25 motorway during the five months that the 13th fell on a Friday between 1990 and 1992. They compared these numbers to data collected on Friday the 6th of the same months, and found that although there are consistently fewer vehicles on the road during the 13th—possibly as a result of superstitious people choosing not to drive that day, the researchers proposed—"the risk of hospital admission as a result of a transport accident may be increased by as much as 52 percent" on the 13th.
  26. Atul Gawande (20 March 1998). "When a full moon and a lunar eclipse collide with Friday the 13th, do more accidents really happen?". Slate. Retrieved 13 April 2018. The 1993 study, published in the British Medical Journal, compared hospital admissions for traffic accidents on a Friday the 13th with those on a Friday the 6th in a community outside London. Despite a lower highway traffic volume on the 13th than on the 6th, admissions for traffic accident victims increased 52 percent on the 13th.
  27. Lo, Bruce M.; Visintainer, Catherine M.; Best, Heidi A.; Beydoun, Hind A. (July 2012). "Answering the myth: use of emergency services on Friday the 13th". The American Journal of Emergency Medicine. 30 (6): 886–889. doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2011.06.008. PMID 21855260.
  28. Schuld, Jochen; Slotta, Jan E.; Schuld, Simone; Kollmar, Otto; Schilling, Martin K.; Richter, Sven (1 September 2011). "Popular Belief Meets Surgical Reality: Impact of Lunar Phases, Friday the 13th and Zodiac Signs on Emergency Operations and Intraoperative Blood Loss". World Journal of Surgery. 35 (9): 1945–1949. doi:10.1007/s00268-011-1166-8. ISSN 0364-2313. PMID 21713579. S2CID 23787395.
  29. Mirror.co.uk, "Friday 13th is no longer unlucky".
  30. Editorial, Reuters (13 June 2008). "Friday 13th not more unlucky, Dutch study shows". Reuters.
  31. Bodin, Magnus (13 November 1998). "About the date+day-distribution along the epoch". x42. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  32. B.H. Brown and Raphael Robinson, "Solution to Problem E36", American Mathematical Monthly, vol. 40, issue 10 (1933), p. 607; Jean Meeus, Mathematical Astronomy Morsels IV, 2007, p. 367.
  33. "13 Facts About Friday the 13th".
  34. "Johns Hopkins Magazine".
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