Why is 13 an unlucky number abroad?

They are superstitious that this number will bring them bad luck, so they avoid it: "If 13 people sit at a table, one person will die within this year", "Friday 13 is a very unlucky day", "13 floors are unlucky" and "13 stairs will bring bad luck. Many people who are afraid of 13 will regard any number with 13, such as 7 13, as an unlucky symbol. About the superstition of 13 deskmate, the absurd statement of 13 is deduced, such as "If someone sneezes at 13 deskmate, the oldest or youngest person will die within one year".

These superstitions are more like jokes to us, but they are enduring in the world. An American surveyed the representatives of all foreign embassies in Washington and found that at least 46 countries had a history of fear 13.

One result of superstition is that the 13 building disappeared in the construction industry. As early as 1903, the high-rise buildings in Manhattan in the United States were all unmarked with 13 floors. Some buildings that were built before superstition prevailed, or buildings that had been designed but dared to ignore this superstition, were required to rearrange the floor numbers, and some hotels even retired all rooms in one fell swoop 13.

An elevator worker dismissed this practice, and his words were praised by Martin Luther King. He said, "When you find that the 14 floor is actually the 13 floor, you will feel that fear is a completely stupid idea." What he didn't notice, however, was that people who were afraid of 13 regarded the sign of "13 floor" rather than the floor itself as the source of bad luck.

When and where this superstition originated, if there is an answer, it must have been hidden for a long time, and no one knows. Early Christians pointed the finger at the "Last Supper": Jesus and his 65,438+02 followers once had dinner at the same table, and the next day Jesus was crucified. Judas, one of the followers of 65,438+02, betrayed Jesus, and he also ended in Living to Die. This fatalistic story inspired people's imagination of 13, and most people speculated that the superstition of 13 deskmate entered people's hearts from the day of Jesus' crucifixion and was constantly strengthened.

Prior to this, the most striking theory of origin came from Norwegian mythology: at a banquet in the city of Vihara, the demon Rocchi was the 13 guest who broke into the banquet and killed one of the gods, Baudoul.

/kloc-at the end of 0/9 in America, 13' s unlucky news and stories occupied the headlines year after year, showing the strong vitality of this superstition. In 1896, the new york Times tried to "Is 13 unlucky?" They investigated a large number of railway, military police, fire brigade and other units, and got an encouraging conclusion: 13 is no worse than any other number. But this kind of effort is insignificant to superstitious people.

The bravest action began more than ten years ago. A group of new york people, who regarded superstition as a historical problem that hindered social development, set up the "188 13 Club" in 65438 and decided to challenge the superstition caused by that number. Captain william fowler, the founder of the club, is a retired veteran of the American Civil War. His life became attached to 13: he participated in the battle of 13, retired in August 1863, bought a house in 13 the next month after retirement, and later became one of the best members of the club.

It took Fowler a year to find 12 "Warriors" and he formed "13 Club". 188113, Friday night at 8: 00 13,13 room, the club opening banquet begins. According to the agreement, the members of the club will have dinner at 13 every month, and 13 people will sit at the same table. If everyone survives the year of dinner, 13 superstition will be shattered.

The club deliberately plays up the horror of death, such as writing "We who are dying salute you" on a huge red and white flag. Tombstone-shaped menus and skull-shaped candlesticks are impressive, and sometimes members will eat coffin-shaped lobster salad with miniature coffin-shaped plates engraved with the number 13. Broken mirrors, open umbrellas and silhouette of black cats, which are regarded as unlucky symbols, have become standard banquet decorations and have been ridiculed and attacked by the club.

13 club quickly became the most outstanding social club in new york, and grew at an amazing speed, with five consecutive American presidents becoming its honorary members. Thousands of club members have had the experience of 13 people sitting at the same table, and they all survived. They proved the absurdity of this superstition with their own personal experience. However, there is still a long way to go to prove and convince people that 13 club is gradually forgotten and that 13 superstition still pervades the world.

1933 A survey of college students shows that more than 90% people think "13 Friday" is unlucky. Sixty-seven years later, the American demographic survey shows that 30% of teenagers are still afraid of this number. Compared with the heyday of 13 superstition, this ratio is gratifying, but no one knows how long the vitality of superstition will last.

Related:

It happened in a hotel in a small town in Denmark.

A traveler named Anderson stayed in this hotel and was arranged in room 12. The room is a very tall and long ancient pattern, and the two windows facing the street can enjoy the bustling street customs. In the evening, Anderson went upstairs after dinner and found 14 next to his room. Room 12 is adjacent to room 14, which means there is no room 13. This is also a local agreement that is silently observed. Even if the hotel owner has set up a 13 room, no passengers will easily check in.

Anderson went into his room. Under the wonderful light, the room seems to be much smaller than it looks during the day, and it is obviously two windows. Now there's only one left! Anderson began to suspect that he was too tired from the trip and that the red wine he drank for dinner at night had a little anesthetic effect. He was angry to find that his suitcase was missing, and it was not in his room, but still beside the bed in the afternoon. Sleepiness made him unable to support himself. He lay in bed, turned over and found that sleeping was the smartest choice at the moment. Leave those trivial things till tomorrow! Maybe that damn waiter moved his seat without permission! Tomorrow, I will teach that boy a lesson. ...

He fell asleep with all the calculations. When he opened his eyes again, two windows facing the street greatly shone into the bright morning sun, and his suitcase was still leaning against the bed. Maybe I really drank too much last night.

In the afternoon, a well-dressed lawyer moved into room 14. Everyone greeted each other at dinner, indicating their understanding.

After dinner, Anderson went back to his room and suddenly found a window missing. A little depressed, he went to the only window and wanted to enjoy the night view of the street. As a result, I heard strange laughter from next door. He thought maybe the lawyer had some fun himself and didn't care too much.

Anderson was reading in bed, and gradually he became sleepy. He was about to go to bed when he heard a loud song from next door-terrible, like a miserable cry of a cat caught in a chimney. Anderson got out of bed again, went to the window and poked his head out to see what the lawyer next door was doing, but he saw nothing except a small piece of white clothes fluttering in the wind. The candle shook badly, and a slender shadow twisted wildly. Anderson thought that when a person is alone, it is even more necessary to vent like this!

He went back to bed, determined to put up with the lawyer's ugly singing. But someone knocked at the door.

As soon as he opened the door, he found that he was a lawyer in room 14. He was very angry and jumped up at the door. "I said, Mr. Anderson, can you not ..."

The song echoed in the room again, like a demonstration.

Anderson and the lawyer looked at each other, and they were frightened.

They went downstairs together to find the boss. When the boss went upstairs, he brought two big guys. They came to the position between 12 and 14 together, and found a door where it used to be a wall, and the words "13" were hung on the door. Singing came from inside, and suddenly it was quiet again.

Everyone stood stiffly at the door, not knowing what to do next.

A man banged on the door first, then unscrewed the doorknob, pushed the door open a little from the outside and looked in.

Suddenly, a slender arm covered with yellow hair came out of the door and grabbed the man's shirt sleeve. The man pulled his arm out and his sleeve broke. The door slammed again, and there was a giggle inside.

The other guy tried to break into the house and see which fairy was inside. As a result, the sound of knocking on the door with a stick is not like knocking on a wooden door at all, but like knocking on a wall to make a dull sound, which makes my hands ache. The man let out a cry of pain and everyone's attention was immediately attracted by him. When everyone looked up again, the door of room 13 had disappeared on the wall, leaving only the wall between room 12 and room 14, and there was a sign of a stick on the wall.

After dawn, people tried to tear down the city wall. Found a skeleton hidden in the wall and a parchment printed with ancient Danish. Later, it was said that the book was sent to a historical society for research and preservation.