If you’re the superstitious type, you should probably stay in today. But just how unlucky is Friday the 13th? Is it a day where the universe actually gives us bad luck, or is it something that makes us paranoid and on edge, causing bad luck on ourselves?
We’ve scrounged up some fun facts about the superstitious date so you can decide for yourself if you want to leave the house today or not!
– Today, Friday Jan. 13th, 2012, marks the first legit crappy snow day in Toronto, ON.
– The official names for “fear of Friday the 13th” are friggatriskaidekaphobia and paraskevidekatriaphobia. People who suffer severely from it can experience panic attacks, mainly because they get frustrated pronouncing the name.
– No one knows for sure the origin of Friday the 13th, but it’s suggested that both “13” and “Friday” are unlucky on their own, so when put together they’re “super unlucky”.
– Idea’s why 13 may be unlucky: In the Bible, Judas, the disciple who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th guest at the Last Supper. In Norse mythology, a dinner party of all the gods was ruined by the 13th guest Loki, who then plunged the world into darkness.
– Why Friday may be unlucky: Friday was “hangman’s day”, the day when all convicted felons would be put to death by hanging. Some say that Good Friday, the day that commemorates Jesus’ crucifixion, restores the good in Friday because of its spiritual connection.
– Rapper Tupac Shakur was officially pronounced dead on Friday the 13th.
– The Dow Jones stock market experienced the second largest drop in history on Friday, October 13th in 1989. It’s since been nicknamed the ‘Friday the 13th mini crash’.
– According to the Stress Management Centre and Phobia Institute in Asheville, N.C, USA, an estimated $800 million to $900 million US is lost every Friday the 13th because people avoid doing business, flying, and traveling.
– Some people believe that if you channel your energy correctly, Friday the 13th can bring good luck! But what does it mean exactly to channel your energy correctly? We assume it means watching MUPPETS TAKE MANHATTAN over and over again.
– Dilip Rangnekar of Otis Elevators estimates that 85% of buildings with elevators don’t have a 13th floor due to superstition