Friday the 13th is commonly known across the globe as the unluckiest day of the year.
The day is highly relevant within supernatural pop-culture, the most popular being horror franchise Friday the 13th featuring the machete-wielding, hockey-masked Jason Voorhees which has since produced 11 feature films since its debut in 1980.
But where does the superstition come from and why do so many people believe it? Listen below to its most commonly known origin and why it is so highly believed;
The theory surrounding the day even links to Norse Mythology and the trickster Loki, the God of mischief. The story comes from the twelve gods and goddesses sitting at a dinner table for a feast in Valhalla, before Loki comes to interrupt the party- resulting in the death of Balder, the God of joy after Loki arranged for Hoder the God of darkness to assassinate him.
Triskaidekaphobia (TR-KYE-DEK-E-FOH-BEE-A) derives from the two ancient Greek terms meaning thirteen and fear and is the scientific term for the fear surrounding the day. This term is not however exclusive to the number it has been heavily linked alternatively to the fear of any Friday that lands on the thirteenth of the calendar month.
However bizarre the fear may seem, it is a lot more common than you think. Many tall buildings and hotels decide to skip the 13th floor, believing that the number will bring misfortune to all of those who reside on it. The floors will skip from 12-14, either completely disregarding the thirteenths existence or using it as storage or mechanical operation rooms.
Below, a recent survey of the people of Salford recount their unfortunate experiences on the 13th Friday of a calendar month, and believe it is directly a result of the unlucky day.
How to make sure you always know when the day is looming? Mark your calendars, if the first of the month starts on a Sunday there will be a Friday 13th!
However, not all of these days are deemed as unlucky! There are plenty of fun and exciting events around Salford today that you can get down and enjoy to avoid the misfortune.