Why is Friday 13th thought of as unlucky?

Friday the 13th has long been associated with being unlucky.

The superstition surrounding the day has prompted some restaurants to refuse to have a “table 13” on the day. Some brides and grooms have even steered clear to avoid being riddled with unfortunate luck.

Some people have developed a phobia against Friday the 13th called Paraskevidekatriaphobia. Meanwhile, the fear of number 13 is Triskaidekaphobia.

There is only one Friday the 13th in 2022 and a further two in 2023.

But how did it all start?

There are many theories surrounding Friday the 13th. Friday was considered an unlucky day in British history due to being "Hangman's day", where people were executed.

In biblical terms, Jesus was crucified on a Friday. Judas was the 13th guest at the Last Supper. The two details were later paired in the 19th Century.

Meanwhile, in Norse mythology, Loki – known to be the god of mischief and disorder – was the 13th guest at a dinner party of the gods.

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Lucky for some, airline fares have been said to be cheaper on Friday the 13th.

In a 2019 study by Kayak published in The Sun, the search engine looked at the average price of return flights for December and compared them with the average cost of flights on Friday the 13th.

They discovered an incredible price difference of up to 71 per cent.

Sophie Gough, senior director at KAYAK Europe, explained: “Through analysis of flight searches in December, we’ve been able to identify that prices really had fallen for many popular destinations on Friday 13th.

"For those who aren’t superstitious about travelling on Friday the 13th, the data shows you can often find some great deals, so with two Friday 13th in March and November next year, travellers should look ahead and consider booking to travel on this traditionally unlucky day."

However, Kayak told the news outlet that while this Friday the 13th might be the cheapest, other factors could ramp up the cost of flights.

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