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 second Friday the 13th of only two this year and comes exactly 39 weeks (that’s 3 x 13!) after the one in January. The next Friday the 13th comes in exactly 26 weeks (2 x 13!). and then there won’t be another until (yikes!) 13 weeks later.
And, do the math on 2017/10/13: 20 - 17 = 3 and 3 + 10 = 13. Today is 13/13!
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 (although on this day 45 years ago, 203 people died in two separate plane crashes).
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 and… Martha Stewart!)
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: