Triskaidekaphobia is the fear of the number 13 and is associated with superstitions about its unlucky nature. Friday the 13th is considered particularly unlucky, and those who fear it suffer from paraskavedekatriaphobia. The fear of the number 13 dates back to medieval times and is linked to Christianity. Many hotels and high-rise buildings skip the 13th floor, and economists estimate that $800-900 million USD are lost each year due to people avoiding business transactions on Friday the 13th.
Triskaidekaphobia is often defined as the fear of the number 13. More accurately, triskaidekaphobia refers to superstitions about the unfortunate nature of the number 13. These superstitions are common in the United States and England, but they are certainly not global. Instead of triskaidekaphobia, many Asian countries have superstitions related to the number 4, called tetraphobia.
Friday the 13th is considered to be particularly unlucky and a person who fears that date occurring, rather than simply the number 13 suffers from paraskavedekatriaphobia or friggatriskaidekaphobia. Whether you’re afraid of the number or the date, there are several reasons why the date is considered unlucky.
Triskaidekaphobia is believed to have emerged after Christianity, as the earliest unfortunate association is the belief that there were 13 guests at Christ’s Last Supper. Also, many believe that Christ was crucified on Friday the 13th. Christians later summarize that the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden occurred on the 13th day at the beginning of days.
Although the word, triskaidekaphobia, didn’t come into use until the 19th century, the condition itself dates back to at least medieval times. Before that, some believed that number 19 was lucky. The fear of Friday is also clearly established in the medieval period, especially due to its close association with Good Friday, the day when most Christians reflect on the crucifixion of Christ. Chaucer refers to bad luck falling on Fridays and the references continue, becoming especially prominent in the 17th century.
The evidence for the superstition of the number 13 is gathered from numerous sources, not all of which are credible. For example, many suggest that Jacques de Molay, the head of the Knights Templar, was arrested on Friday the 13th, but this is actually debatable. Some facts that can inspire triskaidekaphobia that are true is that there are several serial killers whose first and last names together contain 13 letters. Constantinople was sacked on Friday the 13th, but it was actually fortunate for the Christians involved in the crusades and very unfortunate for the residents of Constantinople.
Due to triskaidekaphobia, or especially the fear of Friday the 13th, many people don’t make plans or travel on that day. Starting a journey, physically or figuratively on that day is considered unlucky. Many won’t fly on the 13th, whether or not it happens on a Friday, and people feel that weddings, holiday kick-offs, and major shopping shouldn’t happen on the 13th of every month. Triskaidekaphobia has a strong hold on the American mind, and economists estimate that 800-900 million US dollars (USD) are lost each year to those who avoid any business transactions on Friday the 13th.
Triskaidekaphobia has created an interesting phenomenon in many hotels and high-rise buildings. They don’t have the 13th floor and just jump from 12 to 14. From a rational point of view, obviously the 13th floor exists, but it’s being relabeled as the 14th floor. Similarly, in Asian countries where people suffer from tetraphobia, hotels and high-rise buildings skip the fourth floor and rename it as the fifth floor.
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