Today is Friday 13th, that day that some people consider to be unlucky. There are various theories as to why Friday 13th is viewed in this way:
- Friday is an unlucky day anyway because Christ was crucified on a Friday (some say it was also the 13th) and that there were thirteen present at the Last Supper, with Judas Iscariot being the 13th.
- 13 is the number of witches needed to make a coven.
- Eve tempted Adam on a Friday.
- Cain killed Abel on a Friday.
- It comes from Friday 13th October 1307, the date that hundreds of the Knights Templar were arrested on the orders of Philip IV in France. They were then tortured and burned at the stake.
- Numerologists consider 12 to be a complete number and 13 may be seen as being “a little beyond completeness”.
Have you heard other theories?
Do you believe that Friday 13th is unlucky? Do share what you think of it in the comments below.
I wrote an article a few years ago Superstitions in Tudor England – have a read!
