Friday the 13th: Superstition or Suppression?

The number 13 is well known as being unlucky. Friday the 13th is especially known as an unlucky or even dangerous day among those who hold to superstition. But why is this day seen in such a negative light? And why is even the number “13” seen as unlucky on its own? It seems that this superstition springs from Christianity, but even more-so from Christian anti-Pagan sentiment.

Roughly 8% of the US population subscribes to the belief that Friday the 13th is inherently an unlucky day. There is an official word for the fear of Friday the 13th, which is sort of scary itself: Paraskevidekatriaphobia. Which, while looking like absolute nonsense, is actually just a combination of the Greek word for Friday, which is “Paraskevi,” and the word used to describe the fear of the number 13, “Triskaidekaphobia.” So while it looks crazy, the word does make sense.

The most likely source of the negative superstitions surrounding Friday the 13th is Christianity. Of the many, but generally incomplete sources on the subject, all agree that the unlucky association with the number 13 likely stems from the story of the Last Supper. It is said that at the Last Supper, Jesus Christ was accompanied…