Why is Tuesday the 13th believed to bring bad luck: myths and truths

“On Tuesday the 13th, neither get married nor embark” – credit Freepik

The number 13 has historically been associated with bad luck, especially when it falls on a Tuesday or Friday. When the thirteenth day of a month coincides with one of these days, the most superstitious pray that this day will be kind to them.

In fact, “on Tuesday the 13th, neither get married nor embark on a journey” is a well-known saying in Spanish-speaking countries. The most religious people claim that if someone gets married or travels on these dates, ‘something bad’ could happen, and the saying itself refers to the fact that it is better to avoid ‘doing anything important’ on that day.

Its origin is found in a series of references that go back to ancient mythology, to Abrahamic religions and to some historical coincidences.

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The number 13 has always been linked to dark motives in all kinds of cultures and religions, which has caused this superstition to transcend so many borders today.

But why so much rejection of this number? According to National Geographic, the number 13 has had negative connotations in many cultures, mainly linked to religion. For example, in the Jewish Kabbalah, 13 represent evil spirits; the number is also associated with the ram, the victim that Abraham had to sacrifice to God, and is therefore a number of death.

On the other hand, in Christianity there are three bad omens regarding this: there were thirteen guests at the Last Supper, and it is believed that Jesus was crucified on Friday the 13th and, finally, when the Book of Revelation was written, the Antichrist appears in the thirteenth chapter.

As for Viking mythology, they refer to the calamity of the number 13, since it was associated with Loki, a treacherous and chaotic god, so this number was considered unreliable.

It is even said that the confusion of languages ​​at the Tower of Babel also took place on a Tuesday the 13th.

The association of Tuesday the 13th with misfortune originates from the Roman deity who gives this day its name: Mars, the lord of war.

The Romans took the influence of the gods on their daily lives very seriously, so a violent and strife-causing person like him was not the best person to preside over weddings, business deals or other events that required good auspices.