The History Behind Friday the 13th

By Kelley Rowland | MSN | November 13, 2015

Friday the 13th, provided by Woman's DayThe subject of countless films, books and TV shows, Friday the 13th manages to send chills down everyone's spines the three times a year the dreaded day rolls around. But before you worry yourself, keep in mind there's absolutely no evidence that this is a day of bad luck.

The fear that accompanies it is deep-rooted in Western culture and is reemphasized the famous Friday the 13th horror film franchise. The origin of the superstition though is nowhere near as scary.

It mainly derives from religious beliefs, specifically the events of the Last Supper: the 13 men shared a meal on the day Jesus Christ was crucified, which happened on a Friday. Since then, the day's been associated with negative feelings.

In the Middle Ages, people avoided new beginnings on Fridays. Weddings and travels did not take place on the dreaded day. Even in the 21st century, many people refuse to fly, buy homes and invest when the 13th of the month falls on Friday.

"It's been estimated that $800 or $900 million [U.S.] is lost in business on this day because people will not fly or do business they normally would do," historian Donald Dossey, founder of the Stress Management Center Phobia Institute, in a 2004 article in National Geographic. That number is most likely in the billions today.

And, yes, the fear of the spooky date even has a name: paraskevidekatriaphobia. Up to 21 million people suffer from it.