It’s Friday the 13th — the only day when you can call in sick claiming to be battling a bad case of paraskevidekatriaphobia (the morbid fear of Friday the 13th).
This is the first Friday the 13th of 2019 and one of only two this year (the next is in December).
Neil Young fans will note that there will be a full harvest moon tonight – the last one on a Friday the 13th until September 2171, according to the Weather Network.
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 wait, why is 13 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)!
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.