It’s that time of the year again.
Bad luck simmers around this time of the week, as Friday the 13th approaches once more. With a tale as old as time, many people are a little shaken when they hear that this date is coming up. But what does this phenomenon truly hold up? Why do people actually believe that such a simple day of the week can cause so much bad luck? It’s not even as if the date itself is super rare, as there has been a Friday the 13th at least once every year since 2020. Are people just afraid of the iconic horror series, or is there truly more going on here?
Like many bad luck occurrences, Friday the 13th originates from many ideas of old mythology and religion. Not only is the idea of the number 13 being unlucky from Christianity, but the idea of the day Friday being unlucky comes from mythology. Some ancient beliefs say that due to Jesus’ last supper leading to the crucifixion, it was caused by the fact that there were 13 people. There is also the story of the arrest of Knights Templar on a Friday the 13th back in 1307. A lot of these superstitions have originated from old ideas of time.
Even with how old the original story of Friday the 13th is, people will still hold strong to the idea of it being real. It’s not without evidence either, as many of the previous Friday the 13th’s that have happened in the past few years make people believe this superstition even more. Back in 2020, there was one during the month of March, and it had originally been one of the very first days that Covid-19 was discovered. On August 13th, 2021, major wars in Afghanistan had begun to break out. On October 13, 2023, one of the many events that had expanded and began the Israeli-Gaza war occurred.
Though some insane history is attached to the date, many people have come around to say that the superstition isn’t real. When 50 people around the campus were asked what superstition they believed in the most, the answers were shocking. The choices were, black cats, walking under a ladder, splitting the pole, Friday the 13th, or none of them. Out of the 50 people, four said black cats, 16 said the ladder, 20 said the pole, nine said none, and only one singular person said Friday the 13th. But if most people believe in other superstitions, then why are people still afraid of the date?
One of the many counter arguments people make against the date is that it was inspired by the horror film franchise with the same name. As Jason Voorhees has taken over the minds of many people, it has also overtaken the date of Friday the 13th itself. Most people tend to believe that the superstition got popular because of the franchise, which is true. However, the falseness from this comes from people believing that the date became terrifying because of these movies. When the director of the franchise was interviewed, he had actually stated the name of the movie franchise came from the fact that he believed the date brought immense amounts of bad luck and horror. But maybe the superstition is only somewhat popular and believed to be real because of these movies.
Another survey was conducted on campus to further prove the point of no one fully believing this myth anymore. When 270 students were simply asked if they believe Friday the 13th brings bad luck, 20 students said yes, and 250 said no. Maybe it’s because the generation of high schoolers did not grow up with the movies, maybe they don’t believe in superstitions at all, or maybe the tale wasn’t real in the first place. Without other superstitions to compare to like the last survey, the true beliefs people have in the date shows. Maybe the mythological beliefs people used to have aren’t worried about at all today, and most people just don’t want to see you split the pole.
In conclusion, the date of Friday the 13th doesn’t entirely scare anyone anymore. The date is astonishing at times yes, but most people believe that you’re only afraid of the guy in the hockey mask. Maybe the number 13 itself is believed to be unlucky, but most people don’t seem to overlap it with the day of Friday anymore. Even if there are three times in the year of 2026 when the date will appear, it seems as if no one is prepared. Truth be told, maybe no one needs to be actually prepared.
