Friday the 13th: How many unlucky days are in your future?

Uh oh, it's Friday the 13th. We’ve been told it's a very unlucky day.

So why is it so scary for us?

One explanation is that Friday and the number 13 both have violent historical connections to Christianity.

It was on a Friday that Jesus was crucified, and ever since, the day has been associated with a "general ill omen," Michael Bailey, a history professor at Iowa State University who specializes in the origins of superstitions, tells USA TODAY Network.

In the Middle Ages, for instance, weddings were not held on Fridays; likewise, it was not a day someone would set out on a journey, Bailey says.

Friday was also unlucky in medieval times because it was "hangman's day," says Stuart Vyse, a psychology professor at Connecticut College, in an interview with USA TODAY Network.

How many unlucky days are you in your future?

Thankfully, Friday the 13th doesn’t happen all too often. The majority of years, like 2023, we have two Friday the 13ths, but occasionally there is just one in a month. Three of the unfortunate days occur in particularly unlucky years, such as 2026.

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The fear of number 13

You may not be alone in your fear. You could be suffering from triskaidekaphobia – the fear of the number 13.

According to Vyse, the number 13 was associated with bad luck since it’s believed that Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th person to attend the Last Supper.

There are no references to Friday the 13th until the 19th century, according to Bailey and Vyse, so it's unclear precisely when Friday and the number 13 started to be associated.

How many people are fearful of Friday the 13th?

If number 13 doesn't frighten you unless it's on Friday, you may be more at risk of a condition frequently referred to as paraskevidekatriaphobia, which is the fear of Friday the 13th itself.

According to a recent survey by YouGov.com, Americans who are 25 to 34 years old may be the most anxious about the spooky date. Of that age group, nearly a quarter (23%) stated they were very superstitious.

If Friday the 13th is an unlucky day for you, you might want to decrease your chances of getting bad luck, by just lying in bed all day and avoid everything.

Good luck!

CONTRIBUTING Natalie Neysa Alund/USA TODAY and Jodie Lee,USA TODAY Network