Dun dun dun! Friday the 13th is upon us. Today is the day when unlucky things are supposed to happen and superstitious people become more superstitious than usual. We’ve long come to accept that Friday the 13th means bad luck, but where did this belief come from?
Friday the 13th was never regarded as anything special until the 19th century. Gioachino Rossini, the famous Italian composer, died on the 13th of November 1868, which just happened to be a Friday. Since Italians considered 13 to be an unlucky number and Friday to be an unlucky day, the death of Rossini seemed doubly sinister. From then on, Friday the 13th was considered to be a day that promised hapless events. It’s difficult to determine why the number and the day were singled out, but many believe that they were taken from medieval stories and religious texts.
On this day especially, people avoid stepping on cracks in the pavement, spilling salt, breaking mirrors and running into black cats. Don’t worry though…those are just old misconceptions…or are they?
Did you know…
-Friggatriskaidekaphobia is the fear of Friday the 13th
-There are fewer accidents occur on Friday the 13th because people are being more careful than usual
-In Hispanic countries, Tuesday the 13th is considered to be unlucky instead of Friday
-In Italy, the number 13 no longer has a bad rap. Friday the 17th is now considered to be an unfortunate day
Have you had any unlucky experiences today?