We all know about Friday the 13th. I’m not talking about the classic 80s slasher film or where you can get $13 tattoos and piercings from body art shops. I’m talking about the most unlucky day of the year.
So what is the history of Friday the 13th? The History Channel website had an article written in Oct. 2017 about the origins of Friday the 13th. The unlucky day is rooted from Christian superstition, where Jesus hosted the Last Supper for 13 guests on a Thursday. However, Christians say that the number 13 was a bad omen because it led to Jesus being crucified the next day.
Former Delta student, Jeaninne Green, explains a phobia that involves the number 13.
“My mom is very superstitious when it comes to the number thirteen. If anything involves the number 13, she’ll change the number to 12 or 14. I think my mom has triskaidekaphobia, which is a fear of the number 13. I listened to a podcast about it, it’s very interesting,” Green said.
Friday the 13th isn’t the only superstition out there. Maybe you’ve seen kids on a sidewalk, pushing each other out of the way to prevent stepping on a crack that could break your mother’s back. Maybe you’ve seen someone throw salt over their shoulder because they dropped the salt shaker. Maybe you heard of the old sayings like “don’t open an umbrella indoors” or “don’t walk under the ladder.”
“One superstition I always avoid is to split the pole,” said Delta student Maleek Moore. “You know, when you’re walking with another person or in a group and there’s a pole in the middle of the sidewalk? If anyone splits it [the group], I’ll literally go back and reverse it to avoid bad luck,” said Moore.
Not all superstitions are surrounded by bad luck. A very common superstition is “knock on wood” or “fingers crossed.” “Knock on wood” is a term you say after suggesting an unwanted fate or tragedy. Whereas “fingers crossed” is used to seal a promising prediction or outcome. It’s like wishing good luck.
How can we avoid these superstitions? There’s no antidote or magical protection amulet to avoid such superstitions. But here are some tips from the Collegian:
- Avoid black cats from this Halloween season
- Don’t accept a gift that contains a human soul in a jar
- Don’t walk under a ladder
- Don’t break a mirror, that will cost you 7 years of bad luck