13 Superstitions For Friday The 13th
It’s Friday the 13th. Is anyone else locking their doors and hiding under the covers today? Asking for a friend….
Adding a Harvest Moon to an already spooky night means we should all stay inside, right? Well, only if you’re superstitious. We’ve all heard many superstitions over the years, and some I even still follow out of habit. (Knock on wood, anyone?) But first, when did Friday the 13th become unlucky and why?
Origin of Friday the 13th
I turned to Wikipedia for the origin of Friday the 13th. And while there are many theories, no one really knows when it started. But here are two of the most popular theories:
Friday the 13th Stems from the Bible
Jesus’ last supper and crucifixion can be tied to it because there were 13 people present in the upper room the night before his death on Good Friday. While both 13 and Friday are considered unlucky in this case it wasn’t documented that Friday the 13th was especially unlucky until the 19th Century.
The Knights Templar
On Friday, October 13, 1307, Philip IV of France arrested hundreds of the Knights Templar. But this theory doesn’t seem to start until the 20th century when its mentioned in various novels, including Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code.
Phobia
Paraskevidekatriaphobia is the scientific name for people who have a phobia to Friday the 13th and the scientific name for the irrational fear of the number 13 is triskaidekaphobia.
13 Superstitions for Friday the 13th
Find a Penny
Money brings good fortune and luck! So when you find a penny, pick it up. All-day long you’ll have great luck!
Stay Away From the Ladder
Safety First! You wouldn’t want to knock someone off the ladder. This superstition comes from the religious belief that the ladder leaning forms a triangle and breaking it would be horrible.
One thing we want to try with a ladder is testing the theory that you can get into anything for free with a ladder. Think we can do it?
Black Cats Crossing your path
The black cat superstitions come from the days of witches taking the form of domestic animals. This is ridiculous. Everyone knows how much we LOVE cats at AdShark.
Bad Things Happen in Threes
Ever wondered why this is a thing? It’s confirmation bias. When something goes wrong we tend to look for patterns. So we are essentially waiting for the next thing to go wrong.
Breaking a Mirror
Based on the number of mirrors I’ve managed to break of the years, I’m apparently soulless. You get seven years of bad luck if you break a mirror.
According to folklore, a mirror holds bits of your soul. However, if it happens you can take a piece of the mirror to a tombstone and touch it. Or go ahead and grind it into powder, thus counteracting the bad luck….🤔 If you need me, I’ll be at the graveyard tonight. 😳
Knock on Wood
Bring yourself good fortune or ward off bad luck by knocking on wood. Contrary to popular belief, your head isn’t made of wood.
Ancient pagans believed that spirits and gods resided in trees. Knocking on the trunks could awaken the spirits to call on for protection or for a stroke of good luck. Christians see the wood as a symbolism for the cross from Christ’s crucifixion.
Raise your hand if you still do this. 🙋♀️
Cross your fingers
Originally used in Christianity by two people crossing their index fingers as a symbol of the cross, fingers crossed is a gesture to wish for luck. You can also cross your fingers while lying to someone to excuse it or cross your fingers to promise someone something.
Don’t open your umbrella inside
Bad luck will “rain on you” (see what I did there?) if you open your umber-ella-ella-ella inside.
This is because umbrellas were used as protection from the sun and if you opened it inside you were insulting the sun god.
Four-leaf Clovers
While three-leaf clovers are abundant, the four-leaf variety is relatively rare which makes it perfect for a superstition that brings you luck.
The first reference to bringing luck came from an 1877 letter written by an 11-year old girl asking a magazine if fairies ever whispered in your ear that a four-leaf clover brought good luck.
FYI, ripping a three-leaf clover into four leaves doesn’t count…trust me, I know.
Tossing Salt Over Your Shoulder
If you ever spill salt, you need to stop what you’re doing and immediately throw a pinch over your left shoulder. Folklore says the devil attacks from the rear and left and any salt is basically like a Chuck Norris roundhouse kick to the you-know-what. Not today Satan!
Women on Ships
Legend says that letting a woman on a ship would anger the sea gods. My theory is that someone’s wife wasn’t wanted on the ship so why not make it up to keep them off the ship?
Thankfully we fought for our rights and can sail when we want. Amirite ladies?
Break a Leg
Don’t ever even think of saying, “Good luck” to a performer before going on stage. Say break a leg. It’s ironic because if you say good luck you are essentially passing bad luck onto the performer.
Blessing a Sneeze
Have you ever been worried that a sneeze is a sign you’re on your death bed? Well, in 590 A.D. it did. The plague was spreading and those who sneezed would die. So the pope urged others to pray and bless them to health. Thanks to modern-day medicine I think we’ll all be ok.
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