Answer Man: Why is Friday the 13th unlucky?
By Jason Freeman jfreeman@southtownstar.com January 13, 2012 6:56AM
Jason Freeman is the Answer Man.
Updated: February 14, 2012 8:09AM
Do you know what today is? If you said, “Friday,” you’re at least half right.
It’s Friday the 13th, which not only is the name of a popular horror movie franchise but a day many folks fear.
There’s even a name for the phobia: paraskevidekatriaphobia, which is even harder to pronounce than it is to spell.
Why do folks fear this day so much, and where did that fear come from?
According to HowStuffWorks.com, “the superstition surrounding Friday the 13th is actually a combination of two separate fears — the fear of the number 13, called triskaidekaphobia, and the fear of Fridays.”
Everyone from early Christians to 18th century sailors to the ancient Norsemen had a beef with both the 13th day of the month and Fridays, so it’s not surprising that, after centuries, the two would combine in a perfect storm of superstition.
The history of Friday the 13th is extensive — so extensive, in fact, that I’d need an entire section in the SouthtownStar to thoroughly explain it.
Instead, check out Nathaniel Lachenmeyer’s book “13: The Story of the World’s Most Popular Superstition” to learn more.
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