Friday the 13th, considered by many as one of the unluckiest days of the year, is here again. This is the second time the fearsome event has struck in 2017, with the first occurring in January. If you are worried about what's in store this time then you're not alone. Psychologists have even come up with a word for how you're feeling - paraskavedekatriaphobia, or fear of Friday the 13th.
One option is to stay tucked up in bed all day to avoid any potential Friday the 13th bad luck that may come your way or, alternatively, you could ignore the superstitious chatter and embrace it. In Somerset, it is said that whoever turns a bed on a Friday turns ships at sea. In Cumbria, babies born on a Friday were laid on the family Bible.In some areas, calling a doctor for the first time on a Friday is a certain omen of death.Cutting hair and nails on a Friday is a certain path to misfortune, and many couples will refrain from marrying on a Friday.
Dr Caroline Watt of the University of Edinburgh says that it is the belief in the Friday 13th superstition that could, in fact, prove the greatest risk to the average person: "If people believe in the superstition of Friday the 13th then they believe they are in greater danger on that day. "As a result they may be more anxious and distracted and this could lead to accidents. It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy."It is like telling someone they are cursed. If they believe they are then they will worry, their blood pressure will go up and they put themselves at risk."
Over the past few years it has emerged that the cost of air travel does indeed fall on the spooky date that comes round once or twice a year - with the savings attributed to a collective fear of flying on "the unluckiest day of the year".
Buying or selling a home
The number of property transactions decline on Friday 13. Research by FindaProperty.com found that between 2005 and 2012, there were 43 per cent fewer transactions on Friday 13 compared to other Fridays in the month. The worst day was May 13 2011, when there were 51 per cent fewer transactions. Ironically, these transactions are likely to run more smoothly given that the staff handling them, in solicitors firms and banks, will have more time on their hands. Property bargains are more likely to relate to houses or flats numbered 13. Number 13 houses are not that common - property website Zoopla found only 28 per cent of streets have one.
Weddings
Booking a wedding on Friday the 13th could clip significant amounts of the average £24,000 cost. For those not concerned about chandeliers crashing down or the chance of a jilting, wedding venue House For an Art Lover offers couples a 13 per cent discount if they get married on Friday the 13th. The venue has been offering the marked-down marriages since 2013.
Is Friday the 13th bad for business?
On Friday 13 October 1989, a day that is now often referred to as Black Friday, the failed $6.75 billion buyout deal for United Airlines' parent company sent global markets plunging, knocking 7 per cent and 6 per cent respectively off the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500, which had reached record highs just days earlier, explains Lauren Davidson. It could be a coincidence - or could there be something else at play?
Credits: Telegraph.co.uk
