Friday the 13th: Wish you good luck!

Zeenews Bureau

New Delhi: Theory of bad luck coming in threes has been around since we were kids. And 2012, having earned infamy the world over for being the ‘armageddoneous’ year for the whole of mankind, thanks to Mayan theology, the date today - Friday the 13th, apparently which is the 3rd in the year holds special significance.

Conventionally, it is believed that Friday the 13th brings bad luck and the date bears evil connotations. People have various superstitions pertaining to Friday the 13th with some even refraining from venturing out and getting scared to their wits if they happen to watch a black cat or a crack on the road.

Psychology academic Krissy Wilson, an expert on superstitions from Charles Sturt University in Bathurst, believes that today may be particularly unlucky for some.

"Friday the 13th usually doesn`t occur very often, about twice a year but this year we have already had two and 13th July would be our third," Dr Wilson said.

“Scientifically, there`s no evidence that a Friday falling on the 13th day of the month is any unluckier - but there are more recorded road accidents on Friday the 13ths purely due to how people view the day,” Dr Wilson said.

"People believe that it is actually unlucky so they wait for something bad to happen ... They drive anxiously and have accidents," she said.

"We are not entirely sure how the superstition started. You have two issues: both the number 13 and Friday are seen to be unlucky," Dr Wilson explained.

The main theory behind the Friday the 13th phenomenon is that it is heavily based in Christian mythology.

"The number 13 is seen to be unlucky because there were 13 people at the last supper ... and Friday because Jesus was crucified on a Friday," Dr Wilson said.

Dr Mason said the stigma associated with the day was deeply ingrained into our culture.

"When a superstition is passed down from generation to generation and from culture to culture it is hard to stand up against it and say that it isn`t true."

Dr Mason, however offers respite for those who are feeling particularly anxious about today.

"For those people who are genuinely worried about the day the best thing is to wake up thinking that the day will be an incredibly lucky one rather than unlucky ... otherwise it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, if you think that something bad will happen the more you think about it the more likely it is to eventuate."