Do you have triskaidekaphobia?

Triskaidekaphobia means fear of the number 13. Some people think Friday the 13th is one of the most unlucky days of the year. Others think superstitions about walking under ladders and broken mirrors is silly. Maeve Gagliardo, a sixth-grade student at Patrick M. Villano School, shared her thoughts about this day.

“I don’t like that there’s a superstition about Friday the 13th,” Gagliardo explained.  “I do believe in most superstitions, on Friday the 13th, and  I might watch my step or be a little more alert. I believe in knocking on wood when you ‘jinx’ yourself.”

According to the website for the History Channel, “Just like walking under a ladder, crossing paths with a black cat or breaking a mirror, many people hold fast to the belief that Friday the 13th brings bad luck. Though it’s uncertain exactly when this particular tradition began, negative superstitions have swirled around the number 13 for centuries.”

Fifth grader Maddy Downing likes Friday the 13th because she is interested in the movie Friday the 13th.

“I’ve never seen it, but I’ve seen the trailer for it, and it’s a spooky day which I really like because I like scary stuff,” Downing explained. “I also know that everybody believes black cats to be bad, but I don’t. I think they’re just really cute cats.”