THE MYTH BEHIND THE NUMBER 13....friday 13 is here again

In Western cultures, Friday was traditionally considered a day of bad luck, dating as far back as the 14th century, if not earlier – likely due to religious associations with the crucifixion.


And the number 13 has long been considered unlucky as well. According to University of Cincinnati popular culture expert Rebecca Borah, associate professor, English and comparative literature in the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences, 13 was considered unlucky by both pre-Christian and, later, Christian societies.

She stated, "The pre-Christian societies often noted the number 12 as representing completeness due to lunar cycles. So, 13 was a stepchild of a number. Later, a Christian overlay was added since the 13th apostle was Judas Iscariot."

She added that it was in the early 1900s when we can find evidence where the two superstitions merged, and Friday the 13th emerged as a day of "especially bad karma."

For instance, some religious traditions hold that Eve tempted Adam with the apple on a Friday, and that Cain slew Abel on a Friday the 13th. And groups of 13 have been viewed as an invitation to calamity – whether at a dinner party or the number of a group of adventurers. Such was the case in the novel, "The Hobbit," where the character Bilbo makes for the 14th member of a group as a means for avoiding bad luck.

And, that heritage continues still in the form of anecdotal tales of bad luck associated with a superstition. According to Borah, "We know that if you want someone to believe something, tell a story or anecdote rather than share statistics. Well, literature for centuries has been filled with tales of Friday as an ill-favored day and of 13 as an ill-favored number. In just the past few years, we've had movies continue that tradition with films like 'Freaky Friday' and the 'Friday the 13th' movie series."

So, don't expect such superstitions to disappear anytime soon.

Instead, recommended Borah, celebrate the day with a baker's dozen of your favorite treat: "For me, it's cupcakes, and I'm going to eat that 13th cupcake."