On Friday the 13th two phobias combine. First there is the fear of the number 13, superstitions about which have been around for centuries. Then there is the more recent fear of a particular Friday in the month. The phobias meet in the psychological term ‘paraskavedekatriaphobia’ or ‘friggatriskaidekaphobia’ derived from ancient Greek and Old Norse words.
ONE TOO MANY
According to biblical tradition, thirteen guests attended the Last Supper: Jesus and his twelve apostles, one of who betrayed him. But even before Judas became the most despised dinner guest in history, Norse mythology spoke of a banquet for twelve gods that was crashed by a thirteenth evil spirit, Loki, who killed one of the other guests with a poisoned arrow. And even before that, ancient Hindus considered any group of thirteen people to be unlucky.
JUMPING FLOORS
The fear re-emerged in late 19th century urban planning. Several of New York City’s earliest tall buildings omit the number 13, as critics insisted (or made the excuse) that buildings rising above the 13th floor (around forty metres) would lead to street congestion, ominous shadows and lower property values. Later, the ambition to build high still worked around the superstition, and many skyscrapers missed out the number 13 in their elevators, or used the floor as a service floor. Many US hotels still avoid having a number 13 room, and some cruise liners do not have a deck 13.
COMBINED PHOBIAS
It is not just in New York that superstition has defined city landscapes. In Vancouver in Canada, where there is a large Chinese community, a combination of phobias has influenced urban planning. In 2015, the practice of missing out the 4th and 13th floor numbers in buildings was banned since it could lead to mistakes by rescue teams in emergency situations. The fear of four as well as thirteen derives from the similarity of the Chinese word for ‘four’ and ‘death’.
TERRIBLE TOGETHER
Fear of Friday the 13th is, however, a relatively recent tradition, about a century old. Good Friday (meaning ‘pious’ in this context) was, of course, the day of Jesus’ crucifixion, although, in Greek and Hispanic tradition, it is Tuesday 13th that is considered unlucky, while in Italian popular culture Friday 17th is considered a day of bad luck.
FUTURE BAD LUCK
There are on average 1.7 Fridays 13th each year. The last year with three such unlucky days was 2015, something that won’t happen again until 2026. Next year will have only one, in May, and 2023 will have two, in January and in October.