Why Is Friday the 13th Considered Unlucky?
What's the origin of Friday the 13th superstitions?
I have before me the abstract of a 1993 study published in the British Medical Journal provocatively titled, "Is Friday the 13th Bad for Your Health?"
Its authors compared the ratio of traffic volume to the number of automobile accidents on two different dates, Friday the 6th and Friday the 13th, over a period of years in hopes of mapping "the relation between health, behavior, and superstition surrounding Friday 13th in the United Kingdom."
Interestingly, they found that while consistently fewer people in the region sampled chose to drive their cars on Friday the 13th, the number of hospital admissions due to vehicular accidents was significantly higher than on Friday the 6th.
Their conclusion?
"Friday 13th is unlucky for some. The risk of hospital admission as a result of a transport accident may be increased by as much as 52 percent.
Staying at home is recommended."
Paraskevidekatriaphobics — those afflicted with a morbid, irrational fear of Friday the 13th — will be pricking up their ears about now, buoyed by evidence that the source of their unholy terror may not be so irrational after all. It's unwise to take solace in the results of a single scientific study, however, especially one so peculiar. Surely these statistics have more to teach us about human psychology than the ill-fatedness of any particular date on the calendar.
"The most widespread superstition," says phobia doctor
The sixth day of the week and the number 13 both have foreboding reputations said to date from ancient times, and their inevitable conjunction from one to three times a year portends more misfortune than some credulous minds can bear.
According to phobia specialist (and coiner of the term paraskevidekatriaphobia) Dr. Donald Dossey, it's the most widespread superstition in the United States today. Some people refuse to go to work on Friday the 13th some won't dine in restaurants many wouldn't think of setting a wedding on that date.
Myths and Legends
So, how many Americans at the beginning of the 21st century actually suffer from this condition? According to Dossey, the figure may be as high as 21 million. If he's right, no fewer than eight percent of Americans remain in the grips of a very old superstition.
Exactly how old is difficult to say, because determining the origins of superstitions is an inexact science, at best. In fact, it's mostly guesswork.
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VOCABULARY:
1. Widespread - found or distributed over a large area or number of people.
2. Superstition - excessively credulous belief in and reverence for supernatural beings.
3. Myth - a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events.
4. Phobia - an extreme or irrational fear of or aversion to something.
5. Solace - comfort or consolation in a time of distress or sadness.
DISCUSSION:
1. Have you known before this article that Friday the 13th was considered unlucky?
2. Have you had any experiences of “unlucky days” where nothing seems to go right?
3. Do you believe in luck?
4. Do you agree that some days are more fortunately easy than others?
5. Describe the unluckiest day you’ve ever had.
