Keep calm – it’s not Fri-yay, it’s Friday the 13th

2026-02-13 - 04:26

It’s a superstition that’s got more social cache than a Kardashian, but its just as irrational. Friday the 13th has seen generations refuse to get out of bed and exercise extra caution at everything from simple tasks through to driving to meetings. A superstition amplified by culture and social media Superstition, generational legend and to add to it and social media has propagated an old wives’ tale that can become a self fulfilling prophecy. The fear of the number 13 is called triskaidekaphobia. If someone specifically fears Friday the 13th, that’s called paraskevidekatriaphobia. To date, there have been roughly 284 Fridays on the 13th that fell on the day before Valentine’s Saturday. In total, around 3 483 days since Christ’s crucifixion that burnt holes in Gregorian calendars. Biblical roots and early origin stories That’s because some origin stories suggest that Judas, who betrayed Jesus in the Bible, was the 13th guest at the Last Supper and Christ was purportedly crucified on a Friday. Annemari Viviers, a healer and spiritual advisor from Heavenly Healing, said whatever the beginnings of the Friday 13th legend and fear of the number 13 as an unlucky omen, it is codswallop. “It’s become so ingrained in Western culture that it has become a psychosomatic condition for some people,” she said. “Granted, there is historical stigma attached to it, but there is no magic or voodoo involved, It’s just a number and another day.” ALSO READ: WATCH: ‘I’m bringing her to the reunion!’ – Chrystall Kay spills on buying a voodoo doll in Rio The Knights Templar curse and medieval lore One of the most repeated origin stories traces the superstition to Friday, 13 October, 1307, when France’s King Philip IV and Pope Clement V warred against the Knights Templar. Scores were arrested in a sweep, including grand master Jacques de Molay, who was later executed. Legend holds that de Molay, with little left to lose, cursed crown and papacy, warning the date of his arrest would forever echo with misfortune. Before that, but after the Christ version, Norse mythology tells that 12 gods were feasting in Valhalla when Loki arrived uninvited as the 13th guest and set in motion the death of Balder, the god associated with light and goodness. More recently, there were some curiously aligned events. Modern tragedies that fuel the myth The 1972 Andes plane crash involving a Uruguayan rugby team happened on a Friday the 13th, with survivors later recounting extreme measures to stay alive, including cannibalism. The Costa Concordia cruise ship capsized on Friday, 13 January, 2012, leaving 32 people dead off the Italian coast. Tupac Shakur died on Friday the 13th in September, 1996 after a shooting. The pandemic did not escape the 13 theory as 13 March, 2020, a Friday, was when the US declared a national emergency over Covid. These events may have been random, but for believers it’s real. This is probably why some airlines do not have a row 13 and apartments or office blocks do not always have a 13th floor, either. Viviers said: “The power of the mind is great. If you believe you’ll be unlucky, you’re attracting it.” NOW READ: 12-hour national prayer vigil for suspended Senzo Mchunu angers netizens