Superstitions: Friday 13th

Today is the Friday 13th.

Throughout history, Fridays have been considered the unluckiest day of the week. Criminals were reluctant to undertake crimes on Fridays because they were sure they'd fail and be arrested.

Friday sentencing was thought to be harsher than any other day. Fridays were also known as Hangman's day because executions were normally held on this day. It was a bad day to start a courtship and ships never set sail on a Friday.

Combine 13, which is considered an unlucky number, with a Friday and we have a recipe for disaster. Even today, 13 is still avoided at all costs. Many major hotels and apartment buildings don't have 13th floors.

It is said that Friday 13th is dreaded so much that many people don't cross their thresholds on that day, and according to my Collins Gem Superstitions book research has shown there are fewer cars on the road on this day but more serious crashes.

Since we're a day ahead in New Zealand our 13th is almost done. I heard people talking on the radio this morning about both good and bad things that had happened to them on previous Friday 13ths but completely forgot about it after that. My day wasn't so bad. I wrote and did a few other jobs around the house - you know, the boring things like laundry and cleaning the kitchen and the shower. Luckily, I didn't come across any bad luck during the course of my day.

What do you think about Friday 13th? Have bad things happened to you on this day? Are you a superstitious person? Or do you think it's all a load of rubbish?