A strong dislike of Mondays – because for many it kicks of the working week – takes a back seat this week as we Aussies turn our attention to Friday the 13th.
Dubbed the unlucky day, it generally highlights a range of superstitions which sends people into panic – touching wood and ditching salt over their shoulders.
And spare a thought for all those innocent black cats who are hissed at by so many.
Some believe the unluckiness of number thirteen evolved from Judas Iscariot – the betrayer of Jesus Christ.
From the 1890s, a group of English sources relate the number to the Last Supper where Judas was the 13th deciple to sit at the table.
Superstitions considered to bring bad luck have also evolved and include:
- A black cat crossing one's path
- Walking under a ladder
- Failing to respond to a chain letter
- Tipping a salt shaker over
- Hanging a horseshoe with the ends pointing down
- Breaking a mirror
- Shoes on a table
- Opening an umbrella indoors
- Ouija board
- Thunderstorms
Did you know that some people also believe bad luck follows when viewing one’s doppelgänger – the double of a living person?
