Friday The 13th: Story Of Superstitious Day Kenyans Are Talking About

Every year, people around the world, not just in Kenya, wake up to the dreaded 'Friday the 13th' day which is believed to spark all manner of fear given the superstitions that surround it.

As of 1.52 pm on Friday, January 13, the day of 'bad luck' was trending in the country, with over 71,700 people mentioning it at least once...or twice, or more.

"How have we gotten a Friday the 13th so quickly in 2023?" wondered one Koome Gitobu.

Normally such a day would fall somewhere in the middle of the year or some couple of months into a new year, but no one expected it to come just two weeks into the new year.

Viral Tea takes a look at what Friday the 13th means and its origin:

Why Friday the 13th?

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 in the same year.

For example, 2015 had a Friday the 13th in February, March, and November; 2017 through 2020 had two Friday the 13ths each; 2016, 2021 and 2022 had just one occurrence of Friday the 13th each; 2023 and 2024 will have two Friday the 13th days each, with the dreaded day coming on any month that begins on a Sunday.

Very little is known about the origins of the day's notoriety, but some historians believe that the superstitions surrounding it arose in the late 19th century. The first documented mention of the day can be found in a biography of Italian composer Gioachino Rossini, who died on a Friday the 13th. 

Others believe that the myth has Biblical origins. Jesus was crucified on a Friday, and there were 13 guests at the Last Supper the night before his crucifixion.

Judas Iscariot, one of the disciples of Jesus Christ, betrayed Jesus to the Sanhedrin in the Garden of Gethsemane by kissing him on the cheek and addressing him as "master" to reveal his identity in the darkness to the crowd who had come to arrest him.

His name is also often used when someone is accused of betrayal or treason. Judas was the 13th guest to attend the dinner.

Just as Jesus was crucified on a Friday, Friday was also said to be the day Eve gave Adam the fateful apple from the Tree of Knowledge, as well as the day Cain killed his brother, Abel, according to the American History website.

The day is considered so real, there is even a fear of it, called friggatriskaidekaphobia or paraskevidekatriaphobia. Friggatriskaidekaphobia comes from Frigg, the Norse goddess of wisdom after whom Friday is named, and the Greek words triskaideka, meaning 13, and phobia, meaning fear, while paraskevidekatriaphobia is also derived from Greek: paraskeví translates as Friday, and dekatria is another way of saying 13.

Experts say that friggatriskaidekaphobia affects millions of people and estimate that businesses, especially airlines, suffer from severe losses on Friday the 13th.

Triskaidekaphobia, or the fear of the number 13, is even more widespread. So much so that many high-rise buildings, hotels, and hospitals skip the 13th floor, and many airports do not have gates numbered 13.

In many parts of the world, having 13 people at the dinner table is considered bad luck.

"An important milestone in the history of the Friday the 13th legend in particular (not just the number 13) occurred in 1907, with the publication of the novel Friday, the Thirteenth written by Thomas William Lawson. The book told the story of a New York City stockbroker who plays on superstitions about the date to create chaos on Wall Street and make a killing on the market.

"The horror movie Friday the 13th, released in 1980, introduced the world to a hockey mask-wearing killer named Jason and is perhaps the best-known example of the famous superstition in pop culture history. The movie spawned multiple sequels, as well as comic books, novellas, video games, related merchandise and countless terrifying Halloween costumes," the American History website adds.

As many would believe the reality of Friday the 13th, while others will classify it as a simple superstition. However, there are a number of tragedies and unfortunate events that happened on Friday the 13th: