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Many western countries consider 13 to be unlucky due to its association with Christianity and the Last Supper. Norse mythology also views 13 as unfortunate. Ancient Romans believed 2 was worse than 13. In Asia, 4 is considered unlucky due to its similarity to the word for “death.” The number 8 is considered lucky in China.
Most of the western world such as USA, Canada, Australia, UK and Europe have a history of regarding 13 as an unlucky number. The fear of 13 is called triskaidekaphobia. The association with thirteen and bad luck is thought to be related to Christianity and the Last Supper.
Jesus Christ and his 12 followers sat down at the dinner table at the Last Supper, a total of 13 people. One of the followers betrayed Jesus and the next day, a Friday, Jesus was crucified. Friday the 13th is considered a particularly unlucky day. Some travelers still refuse to travel that day. Some hotels have been built without a thirteenth floor because 13 is considered such an unlucky number.
Norse mythology also includes the idea that thirteen is an unfortunate number of people at a dinner table. Loki, god of mischief, was the thirteenth guest at a table that was supposed to seat only 12 gods. Loki joined the table uninvited and was responsible for the accidental death of the god Baldur.
Although the ancient Romans thought 13 was unlucky, they believed 2 was even worse than 13. The ancient Romans associated thirteen with death, but two with Pluto, the god of the underworld. Pluto was thought to hold the second day of the second month of the year sacred.
Most Asian countries do not consider 13 to be an unlucky number, but rather China, Japan and Korea traditionally view the number 4 as a very unlucky number. The sounds spoken to indicate the number four are very similar to the sounds that mean “death.” Marketing studies conducted in China found that product names and labels with the number 4 did not sell as well as similar items with the number 8 on them. Eight is traditionally considered the luckiest number in China.
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