This is why Friday the 13th is considered unlucky - and triskaidekaphobia explained
Each year, at least once, Friday the 13th makes an appearance on our calendars - and for some, the date spells nothing but bad news as it is considered highly unlucky.
But where does the superstition around this particular date come from? This is what you need to know.
Why is Friday the 13th considered unlucky?
There are a number of theories around why Friday the 13th is considered such an unlucky date.
One of the most popular ones regarding the superstition connects the date of Friday the 13th with the demise of the Knights Templar.
Hundreds of Knights Templar were arrested on Friday 13 October, 1307, by King Philip IV of France.
History states: “Founded around 1118 as a monastic military order devoted to the protection of pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land following the Christian capture of Jerusalem during the First Crusade, the Knights Templar quickly became one of the richest and most influential groups of the Middle Ages, thanks to lavish donations from the crowned heads of Europe, eager to curry favor with the fierce Knights.
“By the turn of the 14th century, the Templars had established a system of castles, churches and banks throughout Western Europe. And it was this astonishing wealth that would lead to their downfall.”
In a bid to overtake the money, land and power from the Knights Templar, King Philip IV of France ordered their arrest.
The Knights Templar were brutally tortured, kept in isolation and fed only scraps and water.
What are some other theories?
Another popular theory regarding the unluckiness of Friday the 13th is attributed to the story of Jesus’s last supper, and his crucifixion. Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of the Last Supper presents 13 people in the Upper Room on the 13th of Nisan Maundy Thursday, the night prior to Jesus’s death on Good Friday.
Judas, who betrayed Jesus, is also thought to have been the 13th guest to sit at the table.
Additionally, the connotations of Friday the 13th being unlucky could be traced back to a novel by Thomas W Lawson called Friday, the Thirteenth, which was published in 1907.
The story tells the tale of a banker who uses the superstition around Friday the 13th to create a Wall Street panic on that very date.
In the 1869 biography of Italian composer Gioachino Rossini, who died on Friday 13 November, by Henry Sutherland, it is documented that the composer regarded Friday as an unlucky day, and the 13th as an unlucky number.
What is triskaidekaphobia
Triskaidekaphobia is the irrational fear of the number 13.
Triskaidekaphobia.info explains: “Most people with triskaidekaphobia have an immersive and ongoing phobia / fear of the number 13.
“The premise of phobia or fear of the number 13 is usually challenging to explain, but in some cases, its causes are linked to panic-related experiences or genetic conditions.
“Fear of the number 13 can be handled by a psychologist using exposure therapy in combination with drugs.”
The word has Greek origins, with tris meaning three, kai meaning and, deka meaning 10 and phobia meaning fear.
Paraskevidekatriaphobia refers to the specific fear of Friday the 13th, not just the number 13.
Do we see triskaidekaphobia in everyday life?
While you may not have thought about it before, the superstition regarding the number 13 can be seen in various parts of society.
Major airlines, such as Air France, Lufthansa and Ryanair, don’t have a 13th row in their places, and many hotels also don’t have a room number 13, or a 13th floor.
Lufthansa explains: “In some cultures, the number 13 is considered unlucky.
“That is why there is no row 13 in planes, because we respect the superstition.
“That way nobody who thinks that the number 13 is unlucky has to sit in that row.”
Some cruise liners also don’t have a deck or floor number 13 either.
Ijumaa ya 13 ni siku ya bahati mbaya, na kwa sababu ya triskaidaphobia, siku hii ya Ijumaa ya 13 inaonekana kwenye kalenda zetu kila mwaka, na kwa baadhi ya watu, tarehe hiyo inamaanisha habari mbaya. Lakini ushirikina unaohusu tarehe hiyo hususa unatokana na nini? Hii ndiyo unayohitaji kujua. Kwa nini Ijumaa ya 13 ni siku ya bahati mbaya? Kuna nadharia kadhaa kuhusu kwa nini Ijumaa ya 13 ni siku mbaya sana. "Kama ilivyoelezwa hapo juu, ni kwa sababu ya ushirikina wa dini ya kiislamu, ""Ijumaa ya 13"" ni tarehe ya kuanguka kwa Knights Templar." Wafalme wa Knights Templar walifungwa na Mfalme Philip IV wa Ufaransa mnamo Oktoba 13, 1307. "Kama ""mashirika ya kifalme ya kifalme"" na ""mashirika ya kifalme ya kifalme"" iliyoanzishwa karibu 1118 kama utaratibu wa kijeshi wa monastic uliojitolea kulinda watalii wanaosafiri kwenda Ardhi Takatifu kufuatia kukamatwa kwa Yerusalemu na Wakristo wakati wa Vita vya Kwanza vya Msalaba, Knights Templar haraka ikawa moja ya makundi tajiri na yenye ushawishi zaidi ya Enzi za Kati, shukrani kwa michango ya ukarimu kutoka kwa wakuu wa Ulaya waliopigwa taji." Kufikia mwishoni mwa karne ya 14, Knights Templar walikuwa wameanzisha mfumo wa majumba, makanisa na benki kote Ulaya Magharibi. "Hata hivyo, kwa sababu ya utajiri wake mkubwa, mfalme wa Ufaransa, Filipo wa Nne, aliamuru kwamba ""watu wa kifalme wa Ufaransa"" wafungwa." Knights Templar waliteswa kikatili, wakawekwa peke yao na kulishwa tu vipande vya chakula na maji. Kuna nadharia nyingine zipi? Nadharia nyingine maarufu kuhusu bahati mbaya ya Ijumaa ya 13 ni kuhusishwa na hadithi ya chakula cha jioni cha mwisho cha Yesu, na kusulubiwa kwake. Picha ya Leonardo da Vinci ya Chakula cha Mwisho inaonyesha watu 13 katika Chumba cha Juu siku ya Alhamisi ya Nisan 13, usiku kabla ya kifo cha Yesu. Yuda, ambaye alimsaliti Yesu, alikuwa mgeni wa kumi na tatu. "Kama ilivyoelezwa hapo juu, ""Ijumaa ya 13"" ni jina la hadithi ya Thomas W. Lawson, ""Ijumaa ya 13,"" iliyochapishwa mnamo 1907."" Mfano wa hii ni kwamba benki ya Marekani ilitumia ushirikina wa Ijumaa ya 13 kuanzisha hofu ya Wall Street. Katika kitabu chake cha 1869 Biography of Italian Composer Gioacchino Rossini, Henry Sutherland, anasema kwamba siku ya Ijumaa ilikuwa siku ya bahati mbaya na tarehe 13 ilikuwa siku ya bahati mbaya. Triskaidaphobia ni hofu isiyo ya akili ya nambari 13. Triskaidaphobia ni aina ya hofu ya idadi ya 13. "Kutoka kwa ""fobia"" au ""hofu ya namba 13"" ni vigumu kueleza, lakini katika baadhi ya kesi, sababu zake zinahusiana na uzoefu wa hofu au hali ya maumbile." "Nambari 13 ni namba ya kwanza katika orodha ya ""nambari za kuogopesha"" na ni jina la asili ya Kigiriki, ambayo ina maana ya ""three,"" ""kai"" na ""deca"" na ""phobia"" na ""fear""." Paraskevidekatria ni hofu ya Ijumaa ya 13, na sio tu namba 13. Je, triskaidaphobia ni tatizo la kawaida? Ikiwa umewahi kugundua kwamba kuna ushirikina kuhusu namba 13, unaweza kuiona katika sehemu mbalimbali za jamii. Ndege kubwa kama vile Air France, Lufthansa na Ryanair hazina safu ya 13 katika vyumba vyao, na hoteli nyingi pia hazina namba ya chumba 13, au ghorofa ya 13. "Lufthansa inaelezea: ""Katika tamaduni fulani, namba 13 inachukuliwa kuwa namba ya bahati mbaya." "Kwa hiyo hakuna safu ya 13 kwenye ndege, kwa sababu tunaheshimu ushirikina.""" "Hii ni kwa sababu idadi ya 13 ni ""bahati mbaya"" na kwa hivyo hakuna mtu anayehisi kuwa namba 13 ni bahati mbaya, kwa hivyo hakuna mtu anayehisi kuwa namba 13 ni bahati mbaya."