Friday 13th

Why do so many people think Friday 13th is bad news? There is no certainty about the origins of this superstition but the coming together of a traditionally unlucky number with an unlucky day could provide one explanation.

Friday is a sad day for Christians because it was the day Jesus Christ was crucified. It is also the day on which Moslems believe that mankind, in the shape of Adam, was created - surely an occasion for joy, not sorrow. According to some legends it was also the day when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, and were thrown out of the Garden of Eden. Friday is also said to be the day they died.

Buddhists and Brahmins also consider Fridays to be unlucky.

So there is a basis for being uneasy about Fridays, but what about the number thirteen? As any traveller in Europe will know, few hotels have a room with the number thirteen. In the United States, there are skyscrapers where the thirteenth floor has mysteriously vanished. No doubt people have sometimes wondered how any building with nothing between the twelfth and fourteenth floors remains upright! There's also a strong belief that having thirteen people around the dinner table will result in the premature death of one of those present. In Christian culture, of course, this belief can be explained by the fact that there were thirteen people at the Last Supper. But even longer ago, the ancient Romans looked upon thirteen as a symbol of death and destruction.

To many people it is a relief when Friday 13th is over. They will be able to relax until the next Friday 13th.