Why is Friday the 13th the Most Feared Day?

Why is Friday the 13th the Most Feared Day?

Samantha Frank and Sasha Hellmann

Friday the 13th is considered the unluckiest day of the year for some people. The fear of the number 13 is called triskaidekaphobia (It’s okay if you haven’t heard of this). Some people with this phobia are so scared that they won’t come out of their houses because they think they will get bad luck. Many tall buildings including hotels don’t have a 13th floor! But why is 13 considered such an unlucky number?

Some people think that the number 13 is “Incomplete” because 12 is a ”complete number.”. There are 12 months in a year, 12 in a dozen, twelve hours on a clock, and also 12 inches in a foot, and 13 is the next number, being “incomplete” 17 million people are affected by the Friday the 13th superstition.

 Donald Dossey is a historian. He said that according to a Scandinavian legend, twelve gods were eating dinner together, until the 13th god Loki, a trickster, arrived. He forced the blind god of darkness to kill the god of joy and gladness. This myth is why some people don’t invite 13 guests to a party. Many religious people also don’t like this number because Jesus was crucified on a Friday. Many people also believe that Adam and Eve’s son Cain killed his Brother, Abel on a Friday.

Many businesses and economies have been hurt by Friday the 13th too. This might seem crazy for a phobia, but about $300 million dollars are lost on Friday the 13th because many workers who are scared of this day don’t go to work. Many other people won’t go shopping either on this day.

So what do you think? Is Friday the 13th really that scary or is it its history of it that gives people the shivers?

Resources:

Why Is Friday The 13th So Feared?