Friday the 13th: The Superstitious Shitshow We Can’t Quit
Friday the 13th has always been one of those dates that makes people feel like they’re living in the prologue to a Stephen King novel. On the surface, it’s just another random Friday, but somehow it still has the power to make your grandma light an extra candle and your coworker mutter about “bad vibes.” So, where did this whole thing start?
It’s a classic mash-up of two big superstitions: Fridays have a weird reputation—supposedly bad luck ever since biblical times—and the number 13 has always been a bit of an odd duck. Twelve is a nice, neat number: twelve months, twelve zodiac signs, twelve apostles. It feels complete, cozy, done. But then 13 waltzes in, uninvited, like the odd cousin at Thanksgiving dinner who always shows up late and spills wine on the tablecloth.
The Norse myths didn’t help, either. Loki, that trickster god, crashed a dinner party of 12 at Valhalla, making himself the 13th guest and turning the whole vibe into a funeral. So you’ve got 13 as this interloper of chaos, and Fridays already had enough bad PR thanks to medieval execution days and crucifixion day rumors. Put them together and you’ve got a superstition that’s just begging to be dramatized.
Thing is, the combo of Friday and 13 didn’t really get a name until the early 20th century when a 1907 novel written by Thomas W. Lawson called Friday, the Thirteenth came out. It was about a shady stockbroker who used the date’s bad rep to crash the market. Because what’s a better horror story than one involving Wall Street, am I right?
Then pop culture took the superstition and ran with it—Jason Voorhees and his hockey mask helped cement Friday the 13th as the official day for creepy shit. Ever since, we’ve been treating every Friday the 13th like it’s open season for the Grim Reaper.
But let’s get real—most of the fear is just a mix of confirmation bias and a good story. You trip on the stairs on Friday the 13th? Must be the date, not your two left feet. The power of suggestion is strong, and let’s face it, humans love a little spooky drama. Fear of this date even has a name: friggatriskaidekaphobia (because apparently regular phobia names weren’t scary enough). And while most of us know logically that it’s just another day, there’s something delightfully eerie about leaning into it. Think of it as a communal little thrill ride—like watching a horror movie, but for your calendar.
It’s worth remembering, though, that 13 isn’t all bad. There are actually 13 lunar cycles in a year. So if you’re gonna blame this number for all your problems, you should also thank it for giving us those monthly full moons that make everyone’s social media feeds a little more interesting.
In the end, Friday the 13th is the perfect excuse to act like a cautious goth for the day—avoid black cats, or maybe adopt one just to flip superstition the bird. But mostly, it’s just another chance to blame the date for whatever chaos your life is serving up… which, let’s be honest, is usually a lot more entertaining than blaming your own questionable life choices.
xo,
Jade