Friday 13th is considered to be the unluckiest day on the calendar – but many people have no idea how it became such a dreaded date and about the ‘cursed’ events that have happened in the past on this date
The infamous Friday 13th is often regarded as the most ill-fated date on the calendar – yet many are still puzzled about its origins. This sparked a social media query: “Explain like I’m five: Why is Friday the 13th considered bad luck? I’m familiar with the movies, but when/where/how/why did “Friday the 13th” get its bad rap?”.
The number 13’s unlucky reputation is rooted in a Norse myth, which tells the story of 12 gods hosting a dinner party in Valhalla. However, the trickster god Loki crashed the party as the uninvited 13th guest, orchestrating the death of the god of joy, Balder, with a mistletoe-tipped arrow.
This event supposedly triggered widespread suffering, thus rendering the number 13 unlucky. Christians also consider the number 13 inauspicious due to its connection to Jesus’s Last Supper and crucifixion, where 13 people were present on the 13th of Nisan Maundy Thursday.
Friday 13th, in particular, gained notoriety as an unlucky day only after the 19th century. It is believed that a series of unfortunate events occurring on various Friday 13ths contributed to this superstition.
One such event, as reported by History.com, took place on Friday, October 13, 1307, when King Philip IV of France’s officers arrested hundreds of Knights Templar, a powerful military and religious order established in the 12th century to defend the Holy Land.
Accusations of varying illicit activities landed many Templars in prison. While it’s believed that the king’s true motive was to gain control over their wealth, a number of them were subsequently executed.
This historical event has been linked by some to the superstition surrounding Friday the 13th, although the full truth behind these legends is still unclear.
Modern history has seen its share of tragedies on Friday the 13th as well, including events such as the German bombing of Buckingham Palace during September 1940; Kitty Genovese’s brutal slaying in Queens, New York, in March 1964; an immensely destructive cyclone in Bangladesh claiming over 300,000 lives in November 1970; the loss of a Chilean Air Force plane in the Andes come October 1972; the death of rapper Tupac Shakur in September 1996; and the Costa Concordia cruise liner disaster near Italy’s coast, which led to 30 deaths in January 2012.
A Reddit user weighed in on the subject stating: “It’s a reference to the crucifixion of Jesus, which took place on a Friday. He was betrayed by one of the attendants of the Last Supper, famously being the 13th person at that table.”
Supplementing this viewpoint, another user mentioned: “Its been my understanding that Friday the 13th was the day Phillip the Fair took down the Order of the Knights Templar.”
Another chimed in with the remark: “It is the date in which the leading members of the Knight Templars were arrested in France.”
So do you believe in the superstition? Don’t forget to leave us your thoughts in the comments section below.
