Much like the World Cup, a solitary Friday the 13th in a calendar year was last experienced four years ago, which makes it that bit more special for the supposed unluckiest day of the year and, as ever, the internet celebrates it with memes.
From a historical point of view, the association in western culture we have with this particular lining up of the calendar year and why it would be unlucky is a relatively modern phenomenon, insofar as cultural events go with no reference to it prior to the 19th century.
The most accepted understanding of its origins comes from the supposed amalgamation of two unlucky symbols merged into one, that is, that the number 13 is unlucky and Friday is considered by some to be an unlucky day, hence Friday the 13th would be the unluckiest day of the year.
However, you’d have to wonder whether the unluckiest day of the year would be Thursday the 12th, given Croatia’s result against Brazil in the opening match of the World Cup yesterday, where they seemed to have no luck with decisions whatsoever.
Since it first came out in 1980, the Friday the 13th horror film franchise has also made the day not just an unlucky one, but a day where anything bad could happen, even getting murdered by the legendary hockey mask-sporting Jason Voorhees.
Also, spare a thought for the people who find the whole folklore surrounding the day in the same category as witchcraft and healing crystals.
Friday the 13th image via Shutterstock
