The same way crossing paths with a black cat, breaking a mirror, or walking under a ladder, is considered a bad omen; it is widely believed that Friday the 13th harbors bad luck. This fear of the number 13 has earned a term called triskaidekaphobia.
“I’m not afraid of 13, but I do get a little superstitious when it comes to mirrors,” sophomore Julia McKinnon said. “In early 2020 my friend broke the mirror she got for Christmas and like, two weeks later, lockdown was announced,“
The history of Friday the 13th also has a biblical connotation. 13 guests attended the Last Supper which was held on a Thursday, and the next day was Jesus’ crucifixion, according to the Bible. This led to a Christian superstition that having 13 guests sitting at a table was a bad omen, according to the History Channel.
“I’ve studied religion in previous years at this school but I never realized that all of these events are related to superstitions we currently have,” junior Nathania Chao said. “This is really interesting and better explains the reasoning behind these beliefs,”
Friday’s negative connotation in Christian tradition is not as strong as the negative omen of the 13th. However, Jesus was crucified on a Friday, also believed to be the day Eve gave Adam the apple from the Tree of Knowledge, and the day Cain killed Abel.
“I know many people have triskaidekaphobia and this fear of the number 13,” sophomore Pilar Ponce de Leon said. “I think the aspect of Friday the 13th introduces a creepier aspect to the idea, but normally, Fridays by themselves don’t have that same atmosphere,”
A New Yorker, named Captain William Fowler, founded a club called the Thirteen Club to remove stigma around the number 13. In the late 19th century, this club dined on the 13th day of every month in a room whose number was 13, as they ate a 13-course dinner, according to the New York Historical Society.
“This idea of a club to normalize all of these things we consider superstitious is very interesting,” Chao said. “I think it takes a lot of strength to be able to forsake societal boundaries and expectations,”
Friday the 13th is also part of pop culture. A novel, Friday, the Thirteenth, written by Thomas William Lawson was published in 1907 and tells the story of a stockbroker who plays on superstitions.
“Hopefully nothing bad happens today, neither inside or outside of school,” McKinnon said. “Although, it would be quite interesting if something did, as long as everyone is safe.”
