Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day in Western superstition. It occurs when the 13th day of the month in the Gregorian calendar falls on a Friday, which happens at least once every year but can occur up to three times a year depending on the calendar. The origins of the superstition are not entirely clear, but it likely comes from the Christian religion. For example, in the Bible, Judas, who is said to have betrayed Jesus, was the 13th guest at the Last Supper, and many unfortunate things happened on Fridays. However, it wasnt until the 19th century that Friday the 13th became synonymous with misfortune.

There are many examples of terrible or tragic events happening on Friday the 13th throughout history. For instance, the murder of Kitty Genovese took place on March 13, 1964. On July 13, 1951, the state of Kansas was hit with over 25 inches of rain, and over 2 million acres of land were damaged by the flood. However, its important to note that there is no evidence that more misfortune takes place on Friday the 13th than on any other day.

Despite this, many people are superstitious about the day, and fear for Friday the 13th may have been amplified by the slasher-movie series "Friday the 13th". Even skeptics can be superstitious, as people who identify as superstitious and non-superstitious both believe a bad outcome is more likely when theyve been jinxed.