Friggatriskaidekaphobia strikes again -- the 1st of 3 for 2026

Friggatriskaidekaphobics – all 21 million of them – are surely shivering behind closed doors (unless they are claustrophobics too), avoiding black cats, mirrors, ladders, and table salt Friday.

According to Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute, the fear of Friday the 13th is called friggatriskaidekaphobia: Frigga, meaning "Friday," and triskaidekaphobia, or paraskevidekatriaphobia, derived from the Greek words "Paraskevi" (Friday) and "dekatreis" (thirteen).

The word was derived in 1911 and appeared in a mainstream source in 1953.

Friday is the first of three Friday the 13^th’s this year: It returns from the grave again next month, and comes back for final vengeance in November.

    Friday the 13th: The Revenge (Credit: Julien Photo/Unsplash)
  

Depressingly enough – and surely a disgrace for horror fans – there are no scheduled marathons of Jason Voorhees to be broadcast anywhere Friday night. Sure, I guess in this day and age, with streaming and on demand, any night can be “Friday the 13^th”. Imagine that – a Friday the 13^th with no “Friday the 13^th.” (Not even one showing? On USA even? What is wrong here?)

Thus, it means you must make your own fear:

• In modern numerology, 12 is considered the number of completeness (months of the year, Zodiac, hours, tribes of Israel, Apostles of Jesus). The number 13 is considered irregular
• Superstition also stems from The Last Supper - having 13 people seated at a table will result in the death of one of the diners
• "The Canterbury Tales" regarded Friday as an unlucky day for journeys or new projects.
• Remember the stock market crash? It occurred on a Friday
• Any Christians out there? So, obviously, you know when Jesus was crucified
• Julius Caesar should have really abided that seer on his way to the Theatre of Pompey: While “The Ides of March” references the 15^th of March, May, July and October, the Ides is considered the 13^th in all other months
  

Never invite 12 people to dinner. (Credit: Leonardo da Vinci - High resolution scan by http://www.haltadefinizione.com/ in collaboration with the Italian ministry of culture)

Author Charles Panati traces back the superstition to Norse mythology. When Norse and Germanic tribes converted to Christianity, Frigga was banished in shame to a mountaintop and labeled a witch.

It was believed that every Friday, the spiteful goddess convened a meeting with 11 other witches, plus the devil — a gathering of 13 — and plotted ill turns of fate for the coming week. (Enjoy that plane trip!)

When it comes down to the movie franchise itself, producer and director Sean Cunningham marketed the name, according to the 2005 book, “Making Friday the 13th: The Legend of Camp Blood.”

Before the world knew it as “Friday the 13th,” the screenplay carried a different name: "A Long Night at Camp Blood," the working title used by screenwriter and Jason creator Victor Miller. However, another film titled “Friday the 13th: The Orphan” already existed and had been moderately successful, prompting threats of a lawsuit.  

In the end, it all worked out for pop culture history.

    Friday the 13th returns (Credit: Justin Campbell/Unsplash)
  

Other Friday the 13^th facts:

• There can be no more than three Friday the 13ths in a single calendar year; With 2026 starting on a Thursday, this results in Friday the 13^th dates in February, March, and November
• Any month that starts on a Sunday contains a Friday the 13^th
• The 13th day of the month is very slightly more likely to be a Friday than any other day of the week, according to mathematicians
• There is at least one Friday the 13th in every calendar year. Howevr, the longest period that occurs without a Friday the 13th is 14 months
• In Italy, it is Friday the 17^th that is considered a bad luck day. The same goes for Tuesday the 13^th in Greek and Hispanic cultures