Friday the 13th History and Superstitions
How can a day make everyone on edge?
Are you a believer in luck and magic? Do you avoid walking under ladders and avoid run-ins with black cats? Have you requested a room change if your hotel booked you on the 13th floor?
The origins of Friday the 13th are scattered, yet, those who believe the day to be unlucky may try to stay home from work. Friday the 13th happens once or twice in a year — or three like in 2015.
So, what factors merged to create such an unlucky day? So much so there is a term just for fear of it: friggatriskaidekaphobia. Let’s take a look!
Unlucky 13
The number 13 in Western culture is considered unlucky. Like Asian cultures and their aversion to the number 4, hotels in the west have omitted the 13th floor. The elevator company Otis revealed that 85% of their elevators in hotels do not contain the number 13.
“[I]f you have a bunch of people not wanting to stay on one floor of your hotel, well, that’s a problem if you’re a hotelier. So a lot of hotels just started skipping that number, and their floors went straight from 12 to 14.” — yourmilagemayvary.com
If we dial back to biblical times, the number 13 is seen as a numerical omen. At the last supper, there were 13 guests…
