Paraskevidekatriaphobia means fear of the date Friday 13th.
It seems odd that fear and superstition has grown up around the number 13 and the date Friday 13th. What may be stranger is that this phobia is apparently only a century old.
Legends and religious myths in Europe suggest that 13 around a dinner table will lead to death. Loki was the 13th guest to arrive at a dinner party in Valhalla, arranging for the god of joy and gladness to be killed. In Christian myths, Judas was the 13th person to sit down at the last supper. The Savoy Hotel will apparently add an extra setting for any party of 13 booked to dine there, and place a cat sculpture on the 14th chair.
The association between Friday with bad luck or evil is also based in Christian legend. It’s claimed that Christ was crucified on a Friday. That Cain killed his brother Abel on a Friday, perhaps even Friday 13th. Some theologians believe that Eve tempted Adam with the forbidden fruit on a Friday. Other cultures choose different numbers and days to be afraid of. In Asia the number four is said to represent death.
I’ll openly admit to being an atheist, you might have guessed that from my use of the word myth with reference to the last supper, so I am sceptical about many of the holidays and traditions of the religion. Easter and Christmas are co-opted from pagan festivals and other tenets seem to invert the old goddess worship.
For pre-patriarchal cultures in the West, Friday the 13th was considered the day of the Goddess. Thirteen represents the feminine. Most fertile women bleed 13 times per year, and there are thirteen moons each year. The moon is considered part of the feminine and the sun part of the masculine in western culture. In ancient China they referred to the menstrual cycle as “heavenly waters”. Chinese women made offerings of 13 moon cakes, the number of the Great Goddess. In Aztec mythology, the goddess Tlazolteotl ruled the 13th Trecena. She was said to forgive sins, especially those of a sexual nature. Friday is literally Freya’s day. So with suppression of the feminine and the degradation of women’s value under Abrahamic religions and patriarchy, it made sense to demonise both the day and the number, at least as much sense as turning Yule into Christmas.
So, unless you’re looking forward to a long weekend by the lake with Jason Voorhees, you might find that Friday the 13th is actually a very lucky day, or you may, like me, dismiss it all as superstitious nonsense rooted in misogyny.