Frano Selak is often described as the "luckiest unlucky man in the world". Hailing from Croatia, he dodged death a total of seven times: in a bus crash, a train crash, a plane crash, two car crashes, yet another bus crash, and finally a UNUnited Nations. An intergovernmental organisation based in New York that aims to maintain international peace and security. truck crash.

Sensing that he had an incredible propensity for good fortune in bad circumstances, Selak entered the lottery in his 70s and promptly won a jackpot of £700,000.

You might turn to Selak for comfort on this spookiest of days. His endurance in the face of unusually bad luck is rather inspiring. It brings a little hope as we reach Friday 13th, a day which superstitious people associate with gloom and bad fortune.

There is even a name for this superstition: paraskevidekatriaphobia, which is a fear of the number 13. But whilst for us Friday 13th is the unluckiest day, in Greece and Spanish-speaking countries Tuesday 13th is the more spine-chilling date.¹

The fear of Friday 13th has become a mainstay of our superstitious culture. The smash hit 1980s slasherA horror film, especially one depicting a series of violent murders or assaults by an attacker armed with a knife or razor. franchiseWhen an individual or group is given the right to sell a company's products in return for a fee. Many McDonalds restaurants are franchises. Friday the 13th inspired an impressive total of 12 films. Plane tickets tend to be cheaper when the 13th falls on a Friday, and some planes even lack a Row 13.²

Nobody knows exactly why Friday 13th has become such a scapegoatA person who is made to take the blame for the wrongdoings of others. The term originates from a ceremony during the Jewish holy day Yom Kippur, in which the sins of the people were symbolically placed upon a goat. The goat was then sent into the wilderness. for superstitious people, but the number 13 has been considered ill-fated for almost all of our recorded history. Judas Iscariot, the discipleFollower. In the Bible, dedicated followers of Jesus were known as disciples. who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th guest to arrive at the Last Supper. In Norse mythology, Loki wreaked mayhem at a banquet in ValhallaIn Norse mythology, a hall where killed warriors go when they die. by gatecrashing dinner and bringing the number of guests up to 13.³

But this was by no means universal. In paganSpiritual beliefs other than those of the main or recognised religions. Often used in a historical context. times, Friday was believed to have an association with the divine feminine. Meanwhile, many saw 13 as a lucky number as it signified the number of lunar and menstrual cycles in a calendar year.

Superstitions can have a huge effect on our culture and language. For example, the ancient European word for bear was "artko", which gave rise to modern French "ours" and Spanish "oso".

However, Germanic peoples believed that if you said it, a bear would actually appear. To avoid this, they referred to it as a "bar" - meaning "the brown one". That is why in English, a Germanic language, we call it a "bear" instead of an "ours".

And superstitions can often be quite useful for society. For example, in many Islamic societies, there is a belief that complimenting someone out of envy can afflict them with the "evil eye". However, the person who has been complimented can avert it by saying "mashallah", meaning "God willed it".

This superstition acts as a reminder not to envy other people for their success, wealth or beauty, and also to be humble about what we have, based on the belief that it all really comes from God.

But some of their effects are less beneficial. For example, in east Asian societies, the number four is unlucky, because in Chinese it sounds like the word for "death". It has been shown that on the fourth of every month there is a peak in the number of Chinese Americans and Japanese Americans dying from heart conditions.⁴

And they can devastate the natural world. In Ghana, people often kill owls because they are thought to bring bad luck.⁵ That is causing damage to the forests, where owls play a vital role in keeping rodent numbers under control.

Yes: Superstitions are a load of silly nonsense. We have advanced far enough that we should not need old wives' tales to tell us how to live our lives. 

No: Superstitions keep us connected to our roots and traditions. In addition, some studies have shown that believing in good and bad luck can actually make you more successful!

Or... Whether or not they can be justified, superstitions make the world a more fun place. Life would be very dull and flat if we were rational all the time.