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Is Friday the 13th really unlucky?

On Friday the 13th, superstitious people usually lie in bed awaiting an imminent catastrophe, many people feel uncomfortable about an important meeting or exam that is scheduled for that day. But why is Friday the 13th exactly considered a day when a particularly large number of misfortunes can occur?

There is no one clear explanation for this. It certainly has little to do with, as some believe, the so-called “Black Friday” of 1929, the biggest stock market crash in the US. It was neither the 13th nor on Friday – because it happened on Thursday in the USA, but it was not noticed in Europe until Friday.

A combination of the day of the week and an unlucky number

It is now considered likely that it was not a single event, but a combination of the day of the week and the number that made this date special. For Christians, for example, Friday is a day of mourning because Jesus was crucified on Good Friday. It was also a Friday that Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden.

At the last supper that Jesus gave with his twelve disciples, Judas, of course, is the thirteenth. Even today, many hotels do not have a thirteenth floor.

In fairy tales, the number 13 means evil

The Twelve are considered sacred in many cultures, and therefore what follows must be wrong. There are twelve months in a year, twelve hours each day and night, and so on. The number thirteen often has a negative meaning in fairy tales, for example in “The Sleeping Beauty” the thirteenth fairy brings misfortune to the royal family with her magical spells.

Statistically, on Friday the thirteenth, there are no more accidents

So does it make sense to be extra cautious on Friday the 13th? Statistically, there are no more accidents on this day than on any other day (this date sometimes occurs several times a year). However, in the history of that day, there were events that contributed to the worship of that day. One of them is, for example, the wrongful accusation and arrest of the Knights Templar on October 13, 1307.

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