Much like breaking a mirror or spilling salt, Friday the 13th has become synonymous with bad luck in the Western world. The association between the two became most notable in the 1980s, thanks to a film franchise of the same name, but this superstition was around long before slasher movies.

Ideas around the number 13 possessing negative connotations go back as far as ancient Mesopotamia and continue into modern times. Words have even come into fruition thanks to the ‘bad juju’ surrounding Friday the 13th. Triskaidekaphobia, the fear of the number 13, explains the phenomenon of many apartment buildings, elevators and airlines omitting the number. Some estimations put the amount of people suffering from this fear to be in the millions.

However prevalent the avoidance of 13 is within many cultures today, the number isn’t seen as a bad omen everywhere. In Italy, ‘fare tredici’ or ‘to do 13’ is a commonly used phrase meaning ‘to hit the jackpot’. It has also been associated with the Goddess of Fertility, as well as bringing prosperity and abundance in life. In China, the word for 13 means ‘assured growth’, securing it as a lucky number. The number 13 is associated with the cycles of the moon, and can be found in a positive light throughout Pagan traditions. Even science has shown no notable changes in the number of hospital visits, accidents or other disasters to take place on a Friday the 13th.

Some may see the number 13 as a sign of new hope, while others see it as the potential demise of the world. In the end, it will be up to you to decide the significance of something so seemingly small in your own life. While you decide, maybe carry around a four-leaf clover or a horseshoe, ya know, just in case.

Happy Friday the 13th!

Tags: friday the 13th, luck