Friday the 13th
Some view today as unlucky…it’s Friday the 13th. It’s especially a problem if you suffer from triskaidekaphobia, fear of the number 13.
Friday the 13th is relatively common, actually…it happens at least once every year, but can happen up to three times in the same year. This year, 2026, is one of those years…February, March, and November all have a Friday the 13th in them. For a month to have a Friday the 13th, the first day of the month must be a Sunday.
If you search for origins of all this, you get some interesting theories. One source suggests the “unlucky 13” dates its origins to a Norse myth about twelve gods having a dinner party in Valhalla. The trickster god Loki was not invited but arrived as the thirteenth guest and arranged for the god of darkness to shoot the god of joy and gladness with a mistletoe-tipped arrow. The death of the god of joy and gladness led to much suffering in the world, so 13—as tied to the thirteenth guest who caused the trouble—is considered unlucky.
You might instead tie it to the story of Jesus’ Last Supper, in which thirteen persons were present in the Upper Room on the thirteenth of the month, the night before his death on Good Friday.
But the first record of “Friday” and “13” being connected in this context comes in the 1800s. A character in an 1834 French play with a name I can’t pronounce apparently said, “I was born on a Friday, December 13th, 1813, from which come all of my misfortunes.” There was also the 1907 novel “Friday, the Thirteenth,” in which an unscrupulous broker takes advantage of the superstition to create a panic on Wall Street on that date.
Regardless of origins, it’s estimated that some $800-900 million in business is lost on any Friday the 13th. Statistics also show it’s a safer day than most—because people are extra careful, thanks to the superstition.
Realistically, it’s just a day. I actually see it as a positive. After all, I just filled this space talking about it…so now I can move on to another task. And, of course, look forward to another Friday the 13th four weeks from today.
