You may have overlooked it due to the year’s quick pace, but we have already had a Friday the 13th in the year 2026. Even stranger still, we will be experiencing another one in the month of March, followed by a third one later in November. Very clearly, the superstition of Friday the 13th drapes us in its mystery.
Now, the real question: Is this a bad omen, or is it simply just how the calendar has played out?
Not to worry, there is no cause for concern. Or is there? Despite its dreadful reputation, Friday the 13th is simply a matter of timing and mathematics. Our calendar follows a set cycle, 365 days in a standard year with leap years every four years. Due to this, weekdays shift in a set pattern. Every year has at least one Friday the 13th, but only a handful of years have the maximum of three, like our current year of 2026, with the next year having three of them being 2037.
Mathematics aside, Friday the 13th has a rich history, with roots across different cultures, religions and literature. Medieval folklore depicted 13 as an incredibly unlucky number and Friday as an unlucky day. Public executions in medieval times typically occurred on Fridays, with condemned prisoners having to ascend 13 steps to reach the gallows. In Christianity, 13 people gathered the night before Jesus Christ’s crucifixion on Good Friday for the Last Supper. In Norse mythology, Loki, the god of mischief and chaos, was the 13th guest, albeit he was uninvited, at Aegir’s banquet, with his presence ultimately bringing about disaster.
Thomas W. Lawson published his novel, Friday, the Thirteenth (1907), in which Wall Street falls to its knees on the cursed date; the novel itself causing Friday the 13th to become an unlucky staple in Western culture. Finally, a majority of hotels refuse to list the 13th floor due to employees attributing the floor with misfortune (even though there obviously is still a 13th floor).
Despite all the dreariness surrounding the number 13, there are cultures that consider it a lucky number. In Italy, the number 13 is seen as lucky and connected to fertility and prosperity. Similarly, in China, it is a lucky number that is considered to mean “assured growth” or even “definitely vibrant.” These cultures seem to present a completely opposite view and don’t subscribe to the superstition, showing that there is complexity in connotations regarding the notorious number.
What really launched the legend of the infamous date over the top, however, was the 1980 horror classic “Friday the 13th.” The 1980s film launched a series, which was a major success in the box office and amongst the public, truly cementing Friday the 13th in the minds of Generation X and future generations to come. The proof? Simply ask older relatives what comes to mind with the phrase “Friday the thirteenth”, and no doubt they’ll think of Jason Voorhees. Better yet, walk into any costume shop on Halloween, and you’re bound to find reference to the movie and infamous date.
Popular belief surrounding the date varies widely, with some dismissing it as pure myth, whilst others walk on eggshells, avoiding big decisions or scheduling anything important. Perhaps it simply boils down to psychology, basic confirmation bias where if you believe in the superstition of Friday the thirteenth, and believe something bad will happen, it will.
Whatever the case, the superstition behind Friday the 13th is here to stay. The date itself combines years of folklore, fear, culture, and film, leaving a powerful imprint. With three Friday the 13ths this year, you could call it unlucky. Or you could call it the perfect excuse to binge watch your favorite horror films.
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