Tomorrow is that dreaded day that comes every few months and brings bad luck to everyone around you No, I’m not talking about when your certifiable ex finds out which state you’re living in, I’m talking about Friday the 13^th.

Throughout Western society, Friday the 13^th has been associated with superstition, misfortune, and ‘Miss Fortune,’ who is a stripper that incorporates fortune cookies into her routine. Throughout Eastern society, Friday the 13^th is just a normal day. In this article we’ll take a look behind the meaning of the more popular superstitions associated with Friday the 13^th, as well as ways to protect yourself from toxic bad luck.

But first, some history. Friday the 13^th started in Europe in the year 1313, on the thirteenth day of the month of Blumkrember, shortly before the Catholic Church declared that there were only twelve months in a year. A series of murders occurred in the British kingdom of Crystal Lake that related to the death of a young monarch named King Jason Voorhees. Evidence suggests the deaths were perpetrated by the victim’s mother, but they happened in such a way that they were all deemed bad luck instead of murders. Over the centuries, the date has been obfuscated into a day of supernatural woe.

One of the more well known Friday the 13^th traditions is the belief that cracking a mirror will bring seven years of bad luck. In fact, this belief comes from the ancient Romans who did not know that mirrors were not people. Every Roman believed that he or she had an evil twin, and that it was this twin who was looking back at them through a window; they had no idea what reflections were. It was believed that if you broke a mirror, you were actually breaking your twin’s body, and that it would take up to seven years to heal.

Crossing under a ladder is another superstition associated with Friday the 13^th. According to the myth, if you walk under a ladder, you might end up landing on a chute that will take you all the back to the twenty-fourth space.

There is also the tradition that crossing paths with a black cat will bring you back luck. There exists some truth in this superstition, because all cats are psychopaths and if you get in a cat’s way it will find you and make your life a living hell.

And of course, there’s the old wives’ tale that stepping on a crack might bring an early death. In fact, this is only true if the crack is a fault line, a sinkhole, or the narcotic of the same name.

There are several ways to prevent bad luck from coming your way this Friday. Salt is known for its ability to stave off evil, so it would be wise to rub salt into every orifice of your body to make sure no evil can enter it. Some people also prefer to just stay in bed the whole day, but since 20% of Americans die in bed, it’s safer instead to lie on the floor for the whole day. Additionally, wearing your clothes backwards on Friday the 13^th has been known to bring good luck, plus it has the added bonus of nobody wanting to talk to you the whole day.

 

Written by J. S. Wydra: @jswydra
Additional, unrelated news: @actlnews

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