Shrouded in mysticism, the number 13 is considered an unlucky number. It has different meanings in different parts of the world. Those who are superstitious usually get extra cautious about where you walk, avoiding black cats and ladders on the 13th of every month.
Here are possible reasons why 13 is considered an unlucky number.
- Last Supper and crucifixion of Jesus: One of the great controversies surrounding the Last Supper is whether or not it was a Passover meal. John seems to suggest that the meal was eaten the day before Passover, which has led some scholars to date the Last Supper to the 13th of Nisan (a month on the Jewish calendar), while others say that the crucifixion itself was on the 13th of Nisan. And tradition has held that the 13th to take their seat was either Judas or Jesus himself.
- Biblical references: According to historian Vincent Foster Hopper, one of the people who really pushed 13 as being unlucky was 16th century numerologist Petrus Bungus. Hopper says that Bungus records that the Jews murmured 13 times against God in the exodus from Egypt, that the thirteenth psalm concerns wickedness and corruption, that the circumcision of Israel occurred in the thirteenth year.”
- Women menstruate roughly 13 times a year: Some suggest that the association with 13 being unlucky is due to women generally having around 13 menstrual cycles a year (based on a cycle length of 28 days).
- 13 letters in a name means that person in cursed: There’s an old superstition that says if you have 13 letters in your name, you’re bound to be cursed. Silly, but slightly more convincing when you consider that a number of notorious murderers’ names (Charles Manson, Jack the Ripper, Jeffrey Dahmer, Theodore Bundy, and Albert De Salvo) all contain 13 letters. And, in case you were wondering: Adolf Hitler’s baptismal name was Adolfus Hitler.
- Friday the 13th tough for business: Friday the 13th is an expensive day for businesses. One analyst claims that around a billion dollars a year are lost as people choose not to do business of any kind on Friday the 13th.
- 12 is a perfect number, so 13 must be unlucky: In some schools of numerology, the number 12 is considered to be the representation of perfection and completion. It stands to reason, then, that trying to improve upon perfection by adding a digit is a very bad idea indeed—your greed will be rewarded with bad luck.
- Sports: Dan Marino is a constant fixture at or near the top of any “best quarterbacks to never win a Super Bowl” list. Perhaps his failure to grab the biggest prize in football comes down to his jersey number—13. And he’s not the only example: Basketball star Steve Nash was a two-time NBA MVP and is considered one of the all-time great point guards, but he and his #13 jersey never won a championship.
Suggest A Correction
