Paraskevidekatriaphobia — Fear Of Friday The 13th.

10 Common African Superstitions I know of, with a bonus one.

Photo by MART PRODUCTION

While editing a photo recently, I moved the cursor along the brightness scale, hoping to get it just right. Stopping once satisfied with the level of brightness, my eyes flicked over to the number to see what percentage of brightness I had adjusted the picture to. 13%.

I squirmed at the sight and flicked the cursor a tad bit to adjust the brightness to 14%.

I know it was an irrational reaction, but my logical mind could not justify leaving it at 13%. I could not jinx the photo as well as the article it would be attached to.

Same for the air fryer. The timer is never set to 13 minutes, either 12 minutes or 14 minutes.

The idea that the number 13 is unlucky is not one I grew up with. Where had I picked up this fear of the number 13 from?

Pop culture

Thanks to pop culture, a person from sub-Saharan Africa could be aware of certain superstitions that originate from faraway cultures. Such as knocking on wood to avert bad news or fear of Friday the 13th, whose name alone justifies the fear — Paraskevidekatriaphobia.