It’s Friday the 13th — the only day you can stay in bed all day claiming to be battling a bad case of paraskevidekatriaphobia (the morbid fear of Friday the 13th).
It is the second of two Friday the 13ths this year (the previous one was in March) and the last one until next August.
Many people believe Friday the 13th got a bad rap because King Philip IV of France ordered the arrests of the Knights Templar at dawn on Friday, Oct. 13, 1307 — or because of the 1980 slasher flick Friday the 13th.
But, unless you’re a member of a 14th century Catholic military order or a young Kevin Bacon at a remote summer camp, you probably have nothing to worry about today. There is no statistical evidence that the day is more unlucky than any other.
Then again, Friday the 13th could be hard to get through if you’ve got triskaidekaphobia (the fear of the number 13). But is 13 really a number to be feared?
There must be a reason why most high-rises don’t have a 13th floor and airports skip Gate 13. Or why some of the most notorious people have 13 letters in their names: Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, Osama bin Laden, John Wayne Gacy, Theodore Bundy, Jack the Ripper.
Music artists who were born on a Friday the 13th include Peter Tork of The Monkees, E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg and Hootie-turned-country singer Darius Rucker.
Maybe it’s the Norse myth about the 12 gods at Valhalla who were interrupted by Loki, or the tale of the Last Supper, at which Jesus was betrayed by the 13th guest to arrive, Judas.
And so, on Friday the 13th we refer to the words of the great philosopher Stevland Hardaway Morris (aka Stevie Wonder): “When you believe in things that you don't understand / Then you suffer / Superstition ain't the way.”
As luck would have it, we’ve put together a collection of songs in honour of Friday the 13th:
This is an updated version of an article that was published in 2017.