The truth is that no one’s sure what the exact origin of the superstition is.
The number 13 and Friday both have a long history of bringing bad luck – and it’s the combination of the two that makes the day the most feared.
Many think that the reason for the number 13’s bad luck comes from the Bible.
Judas, who betrayed Jesus, is thought to have been the 13th guest to sit down to the Last Supper.
Even today, it’s considered unlucky to have 13 people sitting at a dinner table, and some people pop a teddy bear in a seat to make the number of guests up to 14!
In Norse mythology, a dinner party of the gods was ruined by the 13th guest called Loki, who caused the world to be plunged into darkness.
It seems the superstition has stuck. Some hotels will have no room 13, while a lot of tall buildings ‘don’t have’ a 13th floor, jumping straight from 12 to 14. Some airlines also refuse to have row 13 in their planes too.
The combination of Friday and the number 13 as a day of particularly bad luck seems to be a relatively recent tradition – perhaps only about 100 years old.
I – Word Understanding
Superstition – a belief that certain events or things will bring good or bad luck
Norse mythology – a set of religious stories (myths and legends) from the northern
most part of Europe
II – Have Your Say
1, Do you fear Friday the 13th? What day and what number is considered bad luck in your country? What do you do to avoid bad luck related to such belief?
2, Explain the superstitions related to the following:
a, The number “4”
b, Scissors
c, Comb
d, Tatami
e, Sleeping position
f, Tea
g, Thunders
h, Night nails
i, Whistling
j, Writing someone’s name in red
k, Chopsticks
l, Hiccup
m, Lucky ears
n, Teeth
o, Spider
p, First dream of the year
link to explanations https://www.cotoclub.com/16-common-japanese-superstitions/
823 Friday 13th superstitions and history: Why is it believed to be unlucky?
