Friday the 13th 2019: Know some of the superstitions associated with the day

The superstitions

If you look at the pages of history, there have been several ill-fated events that have taken place on the day; enough to send the impressionable into a state of panic.

American rapper and hip-hop artist Tupac Shakur, for instance, died on a Friday the 13th — September 1996 — after having been fatally shot at. The Buckingham Palace was bombed by Nazi Germany during World War II, also on a Friday the 13th (September, 1940). Nathan Bedford Forrest of the Klu Klux Klan was born on the day (July, 1821).

Friday the 13th: A broken mirror is said to bring you bad luck. (Source: Getty/Thinkstock)

Keeping with the reputation of the day, here are some things that believers follow/avoid on the day:

1. Some hotels do away with a 13th floor. They skip a floor entirely, reserving it for storage and maintenance instead. Likewise, some airlines do not have a row 13 inside their aircraft. The most common belief, however, is the that of avoiding ladders or walking under them.

2. The breaking of a mirror — considered inauspicious in many cultures, more so if it happens on a Friday the 13th. Encountering a black cat is a bad omen, as per believers. Opening an umbrella indoors is likely to bring you bad luck, but only if it is black in colour, say believers.

ALSO READ | iPhone11’s three-camera design triggers trypophobia: Know all about the condition

3. Some believe that if you spill salt, you must throw a pinch over your shoulder. Others avoid walking over cracks on pavements. There are also people who avoid saying ‘Macbeth’ on the day, as the scene involving the three witches is believed to have real spells.

4. Most people also avoid putting new shoes on the table, and passing people on the stairs.