With luck, I won’t

HAVE you checked the calendar yet? Or perhaps you need this newspaper to remind you of the date? It’s at times like this that I turn to the great Mark Twain for advice. The prolific American writer declared: “When the human race has once acquired a superstition, nothing short of death is ever likely to remove it.”

As someone who regularly touches wood and avoids walking underneath ladders, Friday the 13th is always considered a “high-risk” day.

Even if I meet a black cat or salute a magpie, it’s still a nervous day.

Thankfully, my Friday the 13th superstition that something bad may happen is not as debilitating for me as it is for the retired butcher down the road.

He simply stocks up on groceries and refuses to leave the house on Friday the 13th.

That’s rather extreme in my book, but it is still the case that Friday the 13th is a date that has long been considered unlucky in Western folklore. The 13th day of a month falls on a Friday at least once a year, and it can occur up to three times in a year.

Any month that begins on a Sunday will have a Friday that falls on the 13th.

Thankfully, for those who are superstitious, there is only one Friday 13th this year – and that’s today!

Author Steve Roud, an expert on folklore and superstition, points out that not all irrational beliefs are classed as superstition.

“One of the key characteristics of superstition is a belief in the existence of luck as a real force in life, and that luck can be predicted by signs and can be controlled or influenced by particular actions or words,” he writes in his Penguin pocket guide on the subject.

He calls superstitions “unofficial knowledge, in that they run counter to

As someone who regularly touches wood and avoids walking underneath ladders, Friday the 13th is always considered a ‘highrisk’ day

the official teachings of religion, school, science and government”.

The most commonly observed superstitions seem to come from the distant past.

The Welsh, according to Mr Roud, have their own set of signs and omens to augur good and bad luck. Some of these may include breaking a mirror and opening umbrellas indoors.

Mr Roud, quotes a source from 1909 which says Wales’ patron saint St David was particularly keen for his people to know if they were about to die.

One bizarre superstition held that the sight of candles beginning to dim was a sign that life was about to be snuffed out.

But where did all the beliefs about Friday the 13th come from?

One possibility lies in Norse myth. Twelve gods held a feast. Loki, the trickster god, was not invited, but turned up as the 13th guest. He tricked the blind god Hodur into shooting an arrow which killed another god, Baldur. This unfortunate event caused the date to be considered unlucky.

Others believe that it has biblical origins – there were 13 guests at the Last Supper before the crucifixion of

Jesus Christ, which took place on a Friday.

Another idea traces the roots of this fear back to France in 1307, when King Philip VI ordered the arrest, torture and execution of hundreds of Knights Templar (a powerful religious and military order whose mission it was to defend the Holy Land).

The fear of this day even has its own name – friggatriskaidekaphobia (“frigg” – the norse Goddess of wisdom after whom Friday is named, “triskaideka” – Greek for 13, and “phobia” – Greek for fear).

Airlines worry that Friday the 13th isn’t good for business, as people are reluctant to fly on the date.

But, relax on that score, as studies have shown that there is no significant increase in the number of accidents, hospital visits or natural disasters on Friday the 13th.

Many superstitious people fear the number 13 more generally (triskaidekaphobia).

Those of you who pay attention to these things will have realised long ago that many high-rise buildings do not have a 13th floor (they go from 12 to 14, skipping number 13 altogether).

Some airports do not have gates numbered 13 and some airlines do not have a row numbered 13 on their planes.

You’ll be glad to learn that not everyone considers Friday the 13th to be unlucky. For example, in Spanishspeaking countries and Greece, Tuesday the 13th is actually the unlucky date! This is because in Greek mythology, Ares, the god of war, is associated with Tuesday.

In Italy, Friday the 17th is unlucky – in Roman numerals, 17 is XVII. These letters can be rearranged into the word “VIXI” which means “I have lived”, implying death is imminent.

For some, of course, Friday the 13th is a welcome opportunity to debunk a superstition. Captain William Fowler founded the Thirteen Club in New

York in 1882 in order to kill the theory that the date and the number itself were unlucky.

There were only 13 members at any one time. They dined together at 8.13pm on the 13th day of each month in room 13 of Knickerbocker Cottage (a popular tavern). Before sitting down to a 13-course meal, they each walked under a ladder!

So, my advice is to meet today headon. I, for one, will be touching the horseshoe that hangs over the back door before leaving home today.

(Top tip on that one: the horseshoe needs to be the right way up. The luck runs out of the horseshoe if it is upside-down.)

You can, of course, ignore any advice and just listen to the sage words of two people from history.

The actress Marlene Dietrich once said: “Superstitions are habits rather than beliefs.”

And poet and playwright Oscar Wilde declared: “I love superstitions. They are the opponent of common sense.”

Good luck!