By Nora Heston Tarte
The fear of Friday the 13th—a kind of superstitious holiday for believers—is referred to as riggatriskaidekaphobia (the fear of the number 13 is called triskaidekaphobia). Though origins are unknown, it’s a very real phobia for some; it has even sparked a horror movie franchise all its own. Even those who are only slightly turned off by the date avoid certain activities on Friday the 13th, including buying a home or getting married. It’s also the reason many buildings don’t have a 13th floor (the Twilight Zone, anyone?) and why you’ll rarely attend a dinner party with 13 guests (likely because of the biblical Last Supper). Hospitals and airports often omit rooms and gates marked 13, as well.
Some attribute the misfortune to 13 being one more than 12, which is considered a complete number (12 months in a year, 12 eggs in a dozen, 12 hours on a clock, etc.) Regardless, the unluckiness associated with Friday the 13th, and often the number 13 in general, is very “American.” Some English scientists have gotten in on the fun conducting tongue-in-cheek studies that show more traffic accidents occurring on this feared day—especially for women—but statistics proving it’s negative connotations are reaching at best.
Alternately, people in Italy, China, and Egypt have conflicting feelings, and most actually consider the number 13 to be lucky.
Fun Facts:
Number of Friday the 13th dates in 2016: 1 (May 13)
Maximum number of Friday the 13th dates to occur in one calendar year: 3
Longest period of time you can go between Friday the 13th dates: 14 months
Number of films in the Friday the 13th franchise: 12
Jason Vorhees from the Friday the 13th films has killed an estimated 146 people. That’s 12.2 slaughters per film.
Percentage of American adults who reportedly believe Friday the 13th to be unlucky: 9-13
Number of Americans who reportedly suffer from riggatriskaidekaphobia: nearly 20 million
The year the first documented reference to Friday the 13th being unlucky was made: 1869