Superstition lives on Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th. It’s a day that has been etched in movie titles for years.
Students from the folklore department know plenty of legends about the ominous date.
Scott McMurray, a folklore student, has a mother-in-law so superstitious she wouldn’t let him and her daughter start a trip to a wedding reception they were to attend in Mountain Home from her home in Emmett, Idaho.
Her reasoning behind this was that her close friend was killed on a Friday the 13th. This same man also had a birthday on Friday the 13th.
“It seems like I feel vulnerable to bad things happening to me on Friday the 13th,” said Utah State University student Jordan Singleton. “Bad things usually happen to me when it sneaks up on me and I’m not taking precautions.”
Singleton has had physical injuries on a Friday the 13th, like an ankle sprain. He lost a job on the 13th and said he feels the whole television network conspires against him with the frightening movies they show on Friday the 13th.
“I am kind of scared about participating in my basketball game this year that’s on Friday the 13th,” Singleton said.
Amanda Carroll, from the Folklore department, shared another legend. Her father tells her the story of the superstition surrounding the beginning of witchcraft in the 1600s. People just thought they were bad and out to cast evil spells on people. They decided the only way to do away with them was to find them and hang them. The number 13 comes into play because those were the number of stairs leading up to the platforms where the witches were hung.
“I don’t believe in Friday the 13th,” said USU student Melanie Bigelow. “My birthday is on April 13, and 13 is my lucky number because of it. I think people who believe in Friday the 13th make themselves believe in it, and because of that their beliefs are manifested.”
The only way to avoid superstitions of the 13th is to offset the superstition. You can do this by stepping on cracks in the sidewalk, or if you have a bad feeling, go and hide. But don’t panic, Singleton said.
“I am aware of the superstition surrounding Friday the 13th, but there are some situations where there’s a twist on the superstitions,” said Randy Williams, assistant director in the Folklore department. “I do know of a few people who avoid the bad luck by not having momentous occasions on the 13th, like getting married, engaged; it is an oral tradition, though.”