I think there are three kinds of folks out there:  those who are superstitious, those who are not superstitious, and those who are a little superstitious, but not going to articulate that fear.  Probably, most of us fall into the last category.

At least once a year, Friday the 13th pops up on the calendar.  Do you try to lay low that day?  Do you even notice what day it is?  Do you stay home and hope the world passes you by?

The approaching ominous day made me do a little research.  Why do we fear Friday the 13th?  Have bad things happened to us on a Friday the 13th?

According to the website todayifoundout.com, both Friday (obviously before the modern work week was invented) and the number 13 have always had unlucky connotations.  Somewhere in the 19th Century, the two were combined to create the unlucky Friday the 13th.

Did you know there is a word for fear of Friday the 13th?  Apparently, 17 to 21 million Americans suffer from paraskevidekatriaphobia (per Wikipedia and todayifoundout.com).

Both Wikipedia and todayifoundout.com offer several possible origins for the notion of unlucky Friday the 13th.  Neither, nor any other source I could find, offered a conclusive answer.

Some people even feel like 13 and Friday the 13th are their lucky number/day. Years ago, Mike received a U.S. Army commission as a Second Lieutenant on Friday the 13th. Since he fought in a war and made it home safely, he has no fear of that day.  In fact, he has always considered the number “13” as his lucky number!

The movie Friday the Thirteenth, did nothing to assuage our fears of the date.  But, that is just Hollywood, so put aside your fears, and go enjoy your day…it is Friday after all!