Friday the 13th has been considered as a day of bad luck in various countries for many years. Though it's unclear exactly when Friday and the number 13 became linked, according to USA Today, one reason is that both Friday and the number 13 have some troubled ties to Christianity.
It was on a Friday that Jesus was crucified, and ever since, the day has been associated with "general ill omen," Michael Bailey (a history professor at Iowa State University). It was also unlucky in medieval times because it was "hangman's day," says Stuart Vyse, a psychology professor at Connecticut College.
And as for the number 13, Vyse says, seating 13 people at a table was seen as bad luck because Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus, is said to have been the 13th guest at the Last Supper.
Friday the 13th has been commercialized by Hollywood movies such as American cult horror film “Friday the 13th” and its sequels.
There are also some people who have fear of Friday the 13th also called friggatriskaidekaphobia ("Frigg" is the Norse goddess whom Friday is named after and "triskaidekaphobia" means the fear of "13") or paraskevidekatriaphobia.
These people avoid flying on a plane, going to work, getting out of bed or even too afraid to say the words “Friday the 13th”. Symptoms of this fear range from mild anxiety and a nagging sense of doom to full-blown panic attacks.
Check out 13 cultural references that made Friday the 13th unlucky shared by Deutsche Welle.