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Why Is Friday the 13th Unlucky? History, Myths, and Facts

"Friday the 13th" in orange letters, next to a black cat with orange eyes
Image Credit:
Pixabay
Written By: Heidi Stonehill Executive Editor

It’s Friday the 13th—a date that instantly sparks superstition, suspense, and a little curiosity. But why does this day have such a spooky reputation? From ancient myths and historical events to pop culture and horror movies, Friday the 13th has long been linked to bad luck. Let’s explore where this fear came from and whether the day truly deserves its ominous status.

Friday the 13th is considered unlucky due to a blend of religious tradition, historical events, and folklore surrounding both Fridays and the number 13.

When is the Next Friday the 13th?

Year Friday the 13th Dates
2026Friday, February 13
Friday, March 13
Friday, November 13
2027Friday, August 13
2028Friday, October 13
2029Friday, April 13
Friday, July 13 

Friday the 13th Origins

Let’s look back at the origins of this ominous date. Although no one knows for certain, the fear of the number 13 and the fear of Friday likely combined around the late 1800s into this new phobia; no clear mention of it had been discussed in published works before then.

Norse Mythology

Do you know the story of Loki? At a dinner with 12 of the Norse gods, Loki was not invited. However, the troublemaker showed up, fighting ensued, and one of the most popular gods (Baldur) was killed that day.

Knights Templar

The predominant 20th-century theory suggests that the superstition around Friday the 13th stemmed from an event that occurred on Friday, October 13, 1307, when thousands belonging to an influential religious, military order called the Knights Templar (officially, the Poor Knights of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon) were arrested for blasphemy and other affronts at the command of France’s king, Philip IV. Many were later tortured, coerced into making false confessions, and executed.

When the knights were burned at the stake in Paris, the order’s leader, Jacques de Molay, cried out, “God knows who is wrong and has sinned. Soon, a calamity will occur to those who have condemned us to death.” The holy warrior’s curse and wrongful death put a hex on Friday the 13th through the ages.

Image of the burning of the Knights Templar
The burning of the Templars 
Courtesy of: British Library/Robana/Rex

The Last Supper

Another superstition associates Friday the 13th with the Last Supper, attended by 13 people—Jesus Christ and his 12 disciples. The number 13 is associated with Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Christ shortly after the Last Supper. Christ was handed to Roman soldiers the next morning and crucified on Good Friday.

the number 13

Fear of Friday the 13th

No matter how the phobia came about, superstitions concerning it still abound. On Friday the 13th, some people refuse to cut their hair or nails, dine out, buy a house, start a job, conduct business, marry, or participate in any event. Other folks are so terrorized that they fear even crawling out of bed or going anywhere on this day (including Winston Churchill, who considered traveling on Friday the 13th unlucky).

As you may be aware, quite a few of today’s skyscrapers and hotels don’t have 13th floors or a room 13. More than 60 million people worldwide have a phobia of Friday the 13th to varying degrees.

The fear of Friday the 13th is officially called friggatriskaidekaphobia. Frigga refers to the Norse god for which Friday is named, and triskaidekaphobia means fear of the number 13.

An alternate term for the anxiety is paraskevidekatriaphobia. Originating from Greek, paraskevi means Friday, dekatria refers to “thirteen,” and phobia translates as “fear.”

happy friday the 13th, still better than Mondays

It Isn’t All Bad…

Many of those who were born on Friday the 13th, or whose birthdays fall on the 13th and occasionally occur on a Friday, consider themselves immune to any negative repercussions.

In some countries, the day is considered normal or even lucky! In other countries, the ill-fated date is a different one! In Italy, it is Friday the 17th. In some Hispanic countries, Tuesday the 13th is the unlucky one. In fact, the title of the 1980 American horror film Friday the 13th (now a cult classic) was changed to Martes 13 (Tuesday the 13th) for Spanish-speaking audiences.

Jason, the infamous figure from the movie, Friday the 13th
Jason, the infamous figure from Friday the 13th!

Calendar Clues

There are 14 possible configurations for the annual calendar that determine how many Fridays the 13th will occur in the year.

  • 6 of 14 years have one Friday the 13th.
  • 6 of 14 years have two Fridays the 13th.
  • 2 of 14 years have three Fridays the 13th.
  • Months that have a Friday the 13th begin on a Sunday.
a black cat
Black cats get a bad rap!

Friday the 13th Fun Facts 

Sure, plenty of good things happened on Friday the 13th, but to someone with friggatriskaidekaphobia, that matters not!

  • The horror novelist Stephen King is a triskaidekaphobe. He’s also a friggatriskaidekaphobe.
  • Franklin Roosevelt had such an irrational fear of Friday the 13th that he would avoid traveling on Fridays.
  • Jack the Ripper claimed his final victim on Friday the 13th in 1888.

Did we miss any fun facts? Share with other readers below!

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Why is Friday the 13th considered unlucky?

    Friday the 13th combines two long-standing superstitions: Friday being an unlucky day and the number 13 being associated with misfortune. Over time, folklore, religion, and historical events blended these fears into one infamous date.

     

  • What is the origin of Friday the 13th?

    The superstition likely emerged in the late 1800s. Common explanations include Norse mythology, the arrest of the Knights Templar on Friday, October 13, 1307, and religious associations with the Last Supper.

     

  • What is the fear of Friday the 13th called?

    The fear is known as friggatriskaidekaphobia. Another term, paraskevidekatriaphobia, comes from Greek and also refers specifically to fear of Friday the 13th.

     

  • How often does Friday the 13th occur?

    Friday the 13th can happen one to three times in a single year, depending on how the calendar falls. Some years have none at all.

     

  • Is Friday the 13th unlucky everywhere?

    No. In some cultures, Friday the 13th is considered normal or even lucky. In Italy, Friday the 17th is seen as unlucky, while in many Spanish-speaking countries, Tuesday the 13th carries the superstition.

     

  • Are there any good things about Friday the 13th?

    Absolutely! Many people are unfazed by the date—or even consider it lucky. Plenty of positive events and birthdays fall on Friday the 13th, proving it’s not all doom and gloom.

Holidays

About The Author

Heidi Stonehill

Heidi Stonehill

Executive Editor

Heidi Stonehill is the executive editor for The Old Farmer’s Almanac, where she focuses much of her time on managing content development for the Almanac’s line of calendars.

Read more from Heidi Stonehill

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Comments

<span>Victor Ray Rutledge</span> Fri, 08/13/2021 - 11:53
Several traumatic events have occurred on Friday the 13th, including the German bombing of Buckingham Palace (September 1940); the murder of Kitty Genovese in Queens, New York (March 1964); a cyclone that killed more than 300,000 people in Bangladesh (November 1970); the disappearance of a Chilean Air Force plane in the Andes (October 1972); the death of rapper Tupac Shakur (September 1996) and the crash of the Costa Concordia cruise ship off the coast of Italy, which killed 30 people (January 2012). Not a real example of constant peril, but enough to keep the superstition alive.
<span>Yashita Jain</span> Fri, 08/13/2021 - 00:39
DAMN I want everything to go back to normal. The last normal schoolday I had was on 13th March, 2020 (FRIDAY!) Since then, this is the third Friday, the 13th! (March 2020, November 2020, August 2021). Hope everything goes back to normal and this curse goes away.
<span>Ken Douglass</span> Fri, 11/13/2020 - 09:55
The ripper's last victim, Mary Kelly, was murdered in the late evening hours of Thursday, the eighth or the early morning hours of Friday, the ninth of November, 1888, not on the Thirteenth. She did, however live at thirteen Miller's Court, where the murder took place.
<span>Sharon H-P</span> Fri, 12/13/2019 - 23:08
In Old Norse Mythology, the Tuetonic Goddess known as Freya or Frigga, was honored on Freya's Day, now called Friday, the fifth day of the week in their calendar. Her sacred number was 13, and Friday the 13th was considered to be a very auspicious day for weddings as she was the goddess of love, beauty and fertility. She drove a chariot pulled by two black cats, given to her by the Thunder God Thor, for whom Thursday is named. When the Tuetonic people were converted to Christianity around 1000 - 1100 AD, everything related to the fertility goddess had to be surpressed. Therefore, she was deemed to be a witch and banished to a high mountain. Everything associated with her was made into something bad. Hence the superstitions about Friday the 13th and the fear of Black Cats.
<span>Olin</span> Fri, 12/13/2019 - 10:36
My daughter, was born on Frida the 13th,and this is one of the two absolutely best days of my life. She is a jewel and her prayers brought me her younger brother, although at age 5, she was praying for a big brother! God is great and dates are dates.
<span>Olivia Cascade</span> Mon, 11/04/2019 - 09:41
I am just a kid, and my birthday is October 13th. 2 years ago my birthday was on Friday the 13th. I don't believe in the bad luck because I have never received any bad luck from it, only good luck. I was scared, but the day was perfect! I turned 9 like I was supposed to and I had fun with my family. A perfectly normal birthday. I thought it was interesting though, about the Tuesday the 13th. My birthday in another 2 years will be on Tuesday the 13th.
<span>Sharon Cardenas</span> Tue, 09/17/2019 - 12:21
Friday, Sept.13, 2019. I was at worked and had dropped my keys in passenger seat of my car when I reached to get my pocket book. The owner of the business across the street called and told the manager there was a girl outside at my car acting strange. She told me and we ran outside but she had done drove off in my car. Misses her by seconds. We called police and he gave them her description. Now it's four days later and they haven't found it yet. With the full moon also on that day sure put a whammy on me!!! I miss my car...:(
<span>Victor Decenzo</span> Fri, 09/13/2019 - 15:14
My wife and I had our 13th wedding anniversary on a Friday the 13th. 40 years next year all is well!!
<span>Lizetta</span> Fri, 09/13/2019 - 12:50
My husband loved to fly fish and suggested we go fishing July 13, 2018. I said sure but did he realize it was Friday the 13th? He asked if I was superstitious & I said no just wanted to remind him of the day. We went to the river on another beautiful day in July here in Idaho. Everything was fine, I was taking lots of pictures while he prepared his fishing pole & got himself ready to enter the river. Lots of people on the river that day, Mark walked up the river a little bit and entered the water only to slip and fall in, his waders filled up with water, he was pulled under and washed down the river were he drowned. Two other fishermen pulled him out of the water and attempted CPR but he was gone. I lost my best friend and love of my life that day just 9 days before we were to celebrate our 46th wedding anniversary. To say I'm not superstitious isn't true for me anymore.
<span>A</span> Sat, 01/14/2023 - 19:59
I am so sorry for your loss. My heart hurts for you when I imagine losing my husband like that.