MANY consider Friday the 13th to be one of the unluckiest dates in the year, and the next one takes place TODAY.
Whether you are superstitious or not, here’s everything you need to know about the widely-feared day.
Many consider Friday the 13th to be one of the most unlucky dates in the year[/caption]
When is the next Friday the 13th?
Approximately 20 Friday the 13ths occur every decade.
Approximately 20 Friday the 13ths occur every decade.
In 2019, the deadly date is rearing its ugly head this month – September.
It will reappear again in December.
Why is Friday the 13th unlucky?
Considering Friday the 13th as unlucky dates back for hundreds of years, with the tradition said to have begun in the Middle Ages or even Biblical times.
Some say the superstition arose from Jesus’ Last Supper, where is it thought there were 13 people present on the night before his death – which occurred on a Friday.
In Roman culture, witches are believed to have gathered in groups of 12 where the 13th witch is the “Devil” itself.
Superstition with the date appeared to have grown in the Middle Ages.
The French King Philip IV would torture victims on Friday the 13th.
Likewise, in Britain, many public hangings took place on this day.
Thanks to a string of events that have occurred on this day, many feel it is jinxed and pay particular care to avoid catastrophe when it comes around.
The fear is so widespread that psychologists have even come up with a word for those who suffer from it: paraskavedekatriaphobia.
Casinopedia‘s research suggests that 49million Brits are superstitious about Friday 13.
What are the spookiest things that have happened on Friday the 13th?
In 2017, there were plenty of unfortunate occurrences on the notorious date.
Some Christians even worried that the world was going to end on January Friday 13th.
Legendary horror writer William Peter Blatty, who penned The Exorcist, passed away.
If that wasn’t tragic enough, the news followed the death of the Catholic priest who inspired the iconic horror.
And the child actor who played Damien in The Omen and punched two cyclists in a road rage attack has arrived at court for sentencing.
While this trail of destruction may seem unusual, it’s far from odd for bad things to happen on Friday the 13th.
Tupac Shakur‘s mysterious death, the sinking of the Costa Concordia and a Buckingham Palace bombing are among the chaos to ensue on the date that’s shrouded in superstition.
