Overview
- In Spanish-speaking countries and Greece, Tuesday the 13th is widely treated as a day of bad luck, distinct from the Friday the 13th focus in anglophone cultures and Friday the 17th in Italy or the number 4 in parts of East Asia.
- The belief blends the number 13’s negative associations—such as the Last Supper and the Tarot’s death card—with Tuesday’s link to Mars, reinforced in tradition by events cited like the fall of Constantinople.
- The superstition has real-world effects as people postpone weddings, travel and contract signings, and some airlines and buildings avoid using the number 13 in seats, rows or floors.
- Coverage notes there is no scientific basis for inherent misfortune on this date, with psychologists pointing to expectation and self-fulfilling interpretations of everyday mishaps.
- Each recurrence brings a media cycle of explainers, social-media memes and esoteric content, including astrologers and numerologists who reframe 13 as transformative and publish lists of ‘lucky numbers.’