At midnight on Friday the 13th, UW-Eau Claire entered the unluckiest day. The city was met with substantial rain throughout the day and a nearly new moon rose at 6:04 a.m. that morning.
And where was I during this terrifying day in the middle of October? Asleep in my bed, not noticing a difference.
Friday the 13th is a superstitious holiday that people always bring great attention to. According to Wolfram Research, there is an average of 1.72 Friday the 13th’s in a year, making it an almost annual event.
This day is marked as an unlucky day, where the passing of a black cat, walking under a ladder, spilling salt, breaking glass, opening an umbrella indoors or stepping on a crack will lead to devastating consequences.
However, this day is purely a superstitious event, just like all of those previous actions described. Friday the 13th is just a day that occurs if the month begins on a Sunday.
Friday the 13th has its roots in Norse Mythology and Christianity. According to “Why is Friday the 13th unlucky? The Cultural origins of an enduring superstition” by Christobel Hastings, the god Loki crashed a banquet, making 13 guests in attendance. He then tricked another god to shoot the god of joy with a mistletoe arrow, killing him.
According to “Friday the 13th” by the History Channel, the unlucky 13 came from the last supper where the 13 attendees were capped by Judas, betraying Jesus to be later crucified on Friday.
Friday the 13th entered pop culture in 1907 when Thomas William Lawson wrote “Friday, the Thirteenth,” a story of a Stockbroker who used the date to create chaos on Wall Street.
According to the History article, the date was solidified in history with the horror movie “Friday the 13th,” following the killing spree of Jason with his infamous hockey mask.
There are a few instances of terrible events occurring on Friday the 13th, but any date could detail horrific historical events, just a quick search of this day in history will detail unlucky events on any date.
Friday the 13th is truly just a date, but the past religious and pop culture events gave enough people reason to distrust the event. Now, you can’t go a Friday the 13th without at least seven people telling you that it is Friday the 13th.
I’d love to insert a story of some crazy Friday the 13th that I’ve experienced, but nothing has ever happened. I hope this isn’t me manifesting anything, but Friday the 13th only exists because people continue to hype it up.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for holidays and spooky events. A Friday the 13th in October during a new moon is bound to be wacky, but some people are deathly afraid of in Friday the 13th as a horrible day and hide away.
I wanted to come and look from a historical perspective on this highly discussed day. People can still remark on it and watch all the horror movies they want, but besides the wet socks I got from walking in the puddles on campus, Friday the 13th is truly just a normal day.
Fisher can be reached at [email protected].
