When Is the Next Friday the 13th?
It’s Friday the 13th! How did this infamous superstition even begin? Why exactly is this day often associated with good or bad luck? Learn some fun and freaky facts.
A Friday the 13th can occur one to three times each year. In many countries around the world, this date is considered unlucky and tied to misfortunate events.
When is the Next Friday the 13th?
| Year | Friday the 13th Dates |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Friday, September 13 Friday, December 13 |
| 2025 | Friday, June 13 |
| 2026 | Friday, February 13 Friday, March 13 Friday, November 13 |
| 2027 | Friday, August 13 |
Friday the 13th Origins
Let’s look back at the origins of this ominous date. Although no one knows for certain, the fear of the number 13 and the fear of Friday likely combined around the late 1800s into this new phobia; no clear mention of it had been discussed in published works before then.
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Norse Mythology
Do you know the story of Loki? At a dinner with 12 of the Norse gods, Loki was not invited. However, the troublemaker showed up, fighting ensued, and one of the most popular gods (Baldur) was killed that day.
Knights Templar
The predominant 20th-century theory suggests that it stemmed from an event that occurred on Friday, October 13, 1307, when thousands belonging to an influential religious, military order called the Knights Templar (officially, the Poor Knights of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon) were arrested for blasphemy and other affronts at the command of France’s king, Philip IV. Many were later tortured, coerced into making false confessions, and executed.
When the knights were burned at the stake in Paris, the order’s leader, Jacque de Molay, cried out, “God knows who is wrong and has sinned. Soon, a calamity will occur to those who have condemned us to death.” The holy warrior’s curse and wrongful death put a hex on Friday the 13th through the ages.
Courtesy of: British Library/Robana/Rex
The Last Supper
Another superstition associates Friday the 13th with the Last Supper, attended by 13 people—Jesus Christ and his 12 disciples. The number 13 is associated with Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Christ shortly after the Last Supper. Christ was handed to Roman soldiers the next morning and crucified on Good Friday.
Fear of Friday the 13th
No matter how the phobia came about, superstitions concerning it still abound. On Friday the 13th, some people refuse to cut their hair or nails, dine out, buy a house, start a job, conduct business, marry, or participate in any event. Other folks are so terrorized that they fear even crawling out of bed or going anywhere on this day (including Winston Churchill, who considered traveling on Friday the 13th unlucky).
As you may be aware, quite a few of today’s skyscrapers and hotels don’t have 13th floors or a room 13. More than 60 million people worldwide have a phobia of Friday the 13th to varying degrees.
The fear of Friday the 13th is officially called friggatriskaidekaphobia. Frigga refers to the Norse god for which Friday is named, and triskaidekaphobia means fear of the number 13.
An alternate term for the anxiety is paraskevidekatriaphobia. Originating from Greek, paraskevi means Friday, dekatria refers to “thirteen,” and phobia translates as “fear.”
It Isn’t All Bad…
Many of those who were born on Friday the 13th, or whose birthdays fall on the 13th and occasionally occur on a Friday, consider themselves immune to any negative repercussions.
In some countries, the day is considered normal or even lucky! In other countries, the ill-fated date is a different one! In Italy, it is Friday the 17th. In some Hispanic countries, Tuesday the 13th is the unlucky one. In fact, the title of the 1980 American horror film Friday the 13th (now a cult classic) was changed to Martes 13 (“Tuesday the 13th”) for Spanish-speaking audiences.
Calendar Clues
There are 14 possible configurations for the annual calendar that determine how many Friday the 13ths will occur in the year.
- 6 of 14 years have one Friday the 13th.
- 6 of 14 years have two Fridays the 13th.
- 2 of 14 years have three Fridays the 13th.
- Months that have a Friday the 13th begin on a Sunday.
Friday the 13th Fun Facts
Sure, plenty of good things happened on Friday the 13th, but to someone with friggatriskaidekaphobia, that matters not!
- The horror novelist Stephen King is a triskaidekaphobe. He’s also a friggatriskaidekaphobe.
- Franklin Roosevelt had such an irrational fear of Friday the 13 that he would avoid traveling on Fridays.
- Jack the Ripper claimed his final victim on Friday the 13th in 1888.
Did we miss any fun facts? Share with other readers below!
Heidi Stonehill
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It’s “Knights Templar” not Knights of the Templar.
At 14, had my braces taken off on Friday, the 13th. Always been a lucky day for me!
Hecate predates all the mentioned associations and has ties to Freya, mentioned by Sharon H-P in the comments. Born of two Titian, she would have a hue of blue. When the war between the Olympians and Titian broke out, she sided with Zeus. In ancient Rome Hecate was honored twice a year during the Ids of March, August and November 13th. Having difficulty finding information on other months. Should November 13th fall on a Friday it is a time of great power and celebration. Tasked with protecting man from poisonous plants, she was a botanist and would be known for carrying a memoir. This is one reason Hecate is whispered, the uninitiated could make a mistake. It is also a basis to associate her to Hecet, the ancient Egyptian frog god, as they both were known to practice Pharmakia.
Here is where we should know certain Sanskrit terms: Phar~ to write, Kia~ sex, Gyp~ to wonder or wanderer. The spelling of witch and prostitute are very similar in Sanskrit, not an expert here it's just obvious. Frogs are associated with lily pads, aka family Nymphaeaceae, genus Nymphaea. Ancient Egyptians would use Blue Lotus as an aphrodisiac, and later the herb would become so popular in ancient Rome as to harvest it into extinction. Ever wonder where nyphomaniac originated? When Egyptian mummies were tested for nicotine, the levels were too high to be accounted for by the local Belladonna. When we look at the river confluences of the Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, and Tennessee rivers we notice towns and cities with the same names as those found in the Nile delta. On the tip of IL, Cairo. Down river Memphis, TN, were an area to the south had the same flood attributes as the Nile delta. Numerous other places can be seen on G-earth, including Luxor.
Back to Hekate, goddess of Pharmakia and Witchcraft, guardian of crossroads. Cronus was her counter part as X-roads guardian, known for sporting a Corona. Having had a tumultuous relationship with Poseidon, we get the term poison. Ancient tombstones, many sailors, had her religious symbolism carved, a skull over crossed bones and a turning hourglass. Like sailors, to be poisoned meant, you didn't know if or when you would return/recover. This would make her religious symbol the most reproduced in the world. Art work often depicts her carrying a torch as she lead Demeter to the underworld to find Percepheny. Followers are known to put statues of her likeness at major X-roads, such as Liberty island in NY harbor.
Hex may have originated from the name Hecate. Aphrodite developed contempt for Hecate when she gave Utopia her pithos. Pandora's Pithos (box, cosmetics case), is a fable about the detriments to expect when giving agency to those who deceive. The modern telling is a lie itself. The 'hope' left behind is unfulfilled expectations. Zeus commanded Hermes to "Teach Pandora to deceive" and said of his wedding gift, "No man should gaze upon the contents of this pithos." Completely different than do not open. Pandora means 'All giving', yet produces nothing, which makes one wonder if she is a depiction of a typical politician/State agent.
To wrap things up, here are some events that correlate to Aug&Nov 13th as her practitioners are known for preparing a few days in advance. First we have the Knights Templar, as October was the eighth month of the ten month Roman calendar. 1307, two numbers associated with luck. August is the modern eighth month of the year. In 2023 several hundred children never returned from school in Lahaina, after the Maui fires. In 2022 actrix Anne Heche sitting up in a gurney, after her car plowed into a house, was making the internet buzz. Nov of that same year, early morning hours of the 13th, the evisceration of four Idaho students made headlines. The last time Friday the 13th occurred in Nov, GOP lawyers forfeited the AZ vote count in a court of record to loose the 2020 presidential election.
Lucky for many: a baker’s dozen is a dozen with an extra baked good thrown in.
So true! We love a Baker’s Dozen!
Both my children were born on the 13th, one in Feb. And the other in November. A year apart. ♥️💕
I had my first date with my now husband on Friday October 13th, 2017. I guess it wasn't unlucky for us! (Although our restaurant of choice had an hour long wait, so we had pizza instead). We've been together ever since.
I was born on December Friday 13th.. New Moon and Solar eclipse
Anyone ever to know me Always said I'm the luckiest person they ever meet.
m a victim of a motorcycle accident on a Friday 13th/August /2021. I lost my One of my front tooth.I thank God the most I am alife.
Ibrahim- We are so happy to hear that you are okay!
