Kids

Is Friday the 13th Really Unlucky?

by Nicole Limlengco
November 13, 2026

The Friday the 13th superstition is old, odd, and full of surprising history to explore with curious kids

Many people in the United States, the United Kingdom, and other Western countries call Friday the 13th an unlucky day. However, scientists have found zero evidence that a date on the calendar causes bad luck. Instead, generations simply passed this superstition down through stories, and cultures around the world view the date very differently.

What Is a Superstition?

A superstition is a belief that certain actions, objects, or dates bring good or bad luck without scientific proof. Some people avoid walking under ladders, while others worry when a black cat crosses their path.

Friday the 13th occurs whenever the 13th day of a month falls on a Friday (like today!). While a few people act extra cautious on this date, many others treat it as an excuse to tell spooky stories and have harmless fun.

Where Did the Friday the 13th Superstition Come From?

Nobody knows for sure. Historians think two older European beliefs, one about Fridays and one about the number 13, were later combined. Here are the main clues:

The Last Supper: In Christian tradition, 13 people sat at the Last Supper—Jesus and his 12 disciples, including Judas, who betrayed him.
Friday traditions: In parts of Europe, Friday carried a somber reputation because Christian tradition holds that Jesus died on a Friday.
A Norse myth: In an old Norse legend, 12 gods enjoyed a feast until Loki, the god of mischief, crashed the party as the uninvited 13th guest and sparked chaos.
19th-century origins: Stephen Winick, a folklorist at the Library of Congress’s American Folklife Center, notes that the specific Friday the 13th superstition is not ancient—it likely took shape in France during the early 1800s before spreading widely.

Some people also link the date to the Knights Templar, a medieval group that French authorities arrested on Friday, October 13, 1307. While that arrest happened, historians confirm that writers did not connect the event to the Friday the 13th superstition until the 20th century.

How Other Cultures View Unlucky Days and Numbers

Not every culture fears Friday the 13th; different regions assign bad luck to other dates and numbers based on local language and history:

Place or Culture	Unlucky Date or Number	Reason Behind the Belief
US, UK & Western countries	Friday the 13th	People blended old beliefs about Friday and the number 13 over time.
Spain & Spanish-speaking countries	Tuesday the 13th	Spanish speakers name Tuesday (Martes) after Mars, the Roman god of war.
Greece	Tuesday the 13th	Greek tradition connects Tuesday with war and misfortune
Italy	Friday the 17th	In Roman numerals, 17 equals XVII, which rearranges to VIXI—Latin for “I have lived,” a phrase ancient Romans carved on tombs.
Parts of East Asia	The number 4	In Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, the word for “four” sounds nearly identical to the word for “death,” so builders often skip the fourth floor.

Is Friday the 13th Actually Unlucky?

No, Friday the 13th is not actually unlucky because a calendar date cannot cause accidents or misfortune.

People only feel unluckier on Friday the 13th because of a brain habit called confirmation bias. When you expect things to go wrong, your brain notices every tiny mistake. Kids spill juice and misplace pencils on ordinary Tuesdays, too—people simply blame the calendar when those everyday hiccups happen on Friday the 13th.

Instead of worrying about bad luck, families can turn the day into a fun curiosity project:

Read a mystery story together before bedtime.
Research a strange historical fact that nobody in the family knew before.
Perform one unexpected act of kindness to make someone else’s day luckier.

Friday the 13th Fun Facts

Calendar frequency: Every calendar year features at least one Friday the 13th, and some years contain up to three
Official phobia name: Psychologists call the intense fear of the number 13 triskaidekaphobia.
Italian superstition: Italians avoid the number 17 far more than 13, and several Italian airlines even skip row 17 on their planes.
Spanish proverb: In Spanish-speaking countries, people repeat the warning, “En Martes, ni te cases ni te embarques” (“On Tuesday, neither get married nor start a journey”).

Friday the 13th represents playful folklore rather than a real warning, proving that a little curiosity can turn any spooky myth into a great family conversation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Friday the 13th really unlucky?

No. It is a superstition, a belief based on tradition and stories. There is no scientific evidence that a calendar date causes accidents or bad events.

Why is 13 considered an unlucky number?

One reason is the Last Supper in Christian tradition, where Judas is often described as the 13th person at the table. An old Norse myth about Loki, the uninvited 13th guest, tells a similar story.