What is the truth about 13?

Question

I've heard it's lucky and it's unlucky. Which is it?

Answer 1

For various reasons 13 is considered a number carrying a special significance in many cultures.


Unlucky 13
See also: Triskaidekaphobia

The stall numbers at the Santa Anita Park show that 13 is considered an unlucky number in horse racing.Thirteen is regarded as an unlucky number in many cultures. Thirteen may be considered a "bad" number simply because it is one more than 12, which is a popularly used number in many cultures (possibly due to it being a highly composite number). When a group of 13 objects or persons is divided into two, three, four or six equal groups, there is always one leftover, "unlucky" object or person.

Unreasoned fear of the number 13 is termed triskaidekaphobia. Due to this fear, some tall buildings have resorted to skipping the "thirteenth floor", either by numbering it "14" (though it's really still the thirteenth floor) or by designating the floor as "12a" or something similar. Similarly, some streets do not contain a house number 13.

Some Christian traditions have it that at the Last Supper, Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th to sit at the table, and that for this reason 13 is considered to carry a curse of sorts. However, there is evidence that 13 may have been considered unlucky in the pre-Christian era: the Code of Hammurabi, a collection of laws created ca. 1760 BCE, does not contain a thirteenth law.

According to another interpretation, the number 13 is unlucky because it is the number of full moons in a year. Actually two full moons in a single calendar month (referred to as a Blue Moon) only happens about every 2.5 years, so to say there are 13 full moons in a year is false. On average, there will be 41 months that have two full moons in a century, so a Blue Moon actually occurs about once every two-and-a-half years, and is in no way related to the number 13.[2] Women living in a natural environment tend to have their menses during a full moon.[citation needed] A twenty-eight day menstruation cycle is most typical, so a woman usually has 13 menses in a year. Supposedly, in the past, a woman who menstruated during a full moon might be thought a witch.

Early nursery rhymes stated there were thirteen months in a year because of the natural moon cycle that was used to count the lunar year. In England, a calendar of thirteen months of 28 days each, plus one extra day, known as "a year and a day" was still in use up to Tudor times. The lunar year was the easiest to count for cultures before scientific methods existed to observe the movement of the earth around the sun, so it was associated with worship of the pagan Great Goddess[citation needed] for thousands of years, which may be another reason for 13 becoming a taboo number. Taboo often is misunderstood when only half of the totem and taboo relationship is recognized. Among religions having totem and taboo characteristics, that which is taboo on a regular basis, may become quite sacred on special occasions.

The thirteenth of a month is likewise ominous, particularly when it falls on a Friday (see Friday the 13th), a Tuesday in the Greek and Spanish-speaking world, or a Monday in Russia. Months with a Friday the 13th must always begin on a Sunday.

In the Persian culture, 13 is also considered an unlucky number. On the 13th day of the Persian new year (Norouz), people consider staying at home unlucky, and go outside for a picnic in order to ward off the bad luck.

Most race car drivers consider 13 a very unlucky number, as a car carrying that number has never won the Indianapolis 500 or a NASCAR Nextel Cup race, and most all Formula 1 teams opt out of carrying the number 13 when car numbers are given out to teams on basis of points. Only once in recent years (1991, Ricky Johnson) has an AMA Motocross rider chosen #13 instead of #14. Some NASCAR tracks refuse to have a pit stall #13.


Lucky 13
In Sikhism, the number 13 is considered a special number since 13 is tera in Punjabi, which also means "yours" (as in, "I am yours, O Lord"). The legend goes that when Guru Nanak Dev was taking stock of items as part of his employment with a village merchant, he counted from 1 to 13 (in Punjabi) as one does normally; and thereafter he would just repeat "tera", since all items were God's creation. The merchant confronted Guru Nanak about this, but found everything to be in order after the inventory was checked.

Several successful athletes have worn the number 13. Dan Marino, an American football known for passing more yards than any other quarterback in NFL history, wore the number 13. Another athlete Wilt Chamberlain wore the number 13 on his jersey throughout his NBA career. Also, FIBA rules require a player to wear the number in international competitions (only numbers from 4 to 15 could be worn, and as there are 12 players, one must wear 13); Chris Mullin, who wore #20 in college and #17 in the NBA, wore #13 for both (1984 and 1992) of his Olympic appearances. Shaquille O'Neal wore #13 in 1996, Tim Duncan wore #13 in 2004. And Mats Sundin wears 13 in NHL :p

In Judaism, 13 is considered a lucky number. One explanation for this is that the word אחד echad, Hebrew for 'one' and thus a way of describing the unique God, has the numerological value of 13 according to the Gematria system.

In Islam, the number thirteen is the number of wings of an angel. It is also believed that if you break any of your left ribs, then 13 is your lucky number.

Answer 2

ive never heard that 13 is lucky, i've only ever heard that it is unlucky. I don't know for sure, so dont quote me on this, but i think it has something to do with ancient witchcraft rituals. When christianity came to europe the dieties deemed the number 13 (wich was the date of a witchcraft festival) to be demonic.

Answer 3

The truth about is unlucky, but you can change anythink you want with your mind and make it lucky. In other words if you keep thinking its unlucky then thats what will happen but if you think about lucky then thats what you will get. Always think positive and say good then thats what you will get.

Answer 4

When Jesus prayed to his Father, Jehovah, at John 17:17, he identified truth. "Sanctify them by means of the truth; your word is truth. " We know this is correct by what Jesus said just before at John 18:37. "For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone that is on the side of the truth listens to my voice.” Then, Pilate asked his question.

Answer 5

I guess it depends on how you look at it. Some people see it as lucky for them and some unlucky.

Answer 6

It is all based on opinion, however it is commonly referred to as a unlucky number.

Answer 7

Supposedly it is unlucky.

Answer 8

i vote for lucky