Superstitions and bad luck; they go hand in hand. Step on a crack and break your mother’s back. Spill salt and its bad luck. Walk under a ladder and take your chances. Break a mirror and suffer seven years of bad luck. Beware the black cat walking across your path. At one point in time, we have heard them all, but today, Friday the 13th, we enjoy, or fear, or loathe, or detest the granddaddy of them all.

There is something about the day. It takes a little longer to get out of bed, we linger longer at busy intersections, we take care with saltshakers and avoid black cats.

Some say defiantly that it is their lucky day or that the number 13 is a good number. The fact of the matter is, we, for the most part, don’t perform as well on Friday the 13th as we do on other days. It is estimated that American businesses lose nearly $700 million because of poor productivity on Friday the 13th.

That is nothing new. Friday the 13th is a day of terrible luck a great deal of the world and has been for a very long time.

Numerologist say that the 12 is a complete number – there are 12 months in the year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 tribes of Israel and 12 Apostles. 13 upsets the balance of 12. At the Last Supper there were 13 at the table with Jesus.

The number 13 is linked with death.

Friday was the day of Christ’s crucifixion. On a number of occasions, Friday has been a day when the stock market crashes. Then when you put them together, disaster looms. In the novel The Da Vinici Code, the Knights Templar were arrested on Friday the 13th.

While most people feel uneasy, there are some that absolutely fear Friday the 13th. This is so common there is a scientific name given to the fear – paraskavedekatriaphobia, a form of trikaidekaphobia, a simple phobia or fear of the number thirteen appearing in any case.

Research on Wikipedia states in part that, “According to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, North Carolina, more than 67 million people are affected by a fear of this day. Some people are so paralyzed by fear that they avoid their normal routines like doing business, taking flights or even getting out of bed.”

They further report that, “A British Medical Journal study has shown that there is a significant increase in traffic-related accidents on Fridays the 13th.”

So, when you call in sick and stay under the covers, just tell the bosses that you are trying to save them some money because of poor productivity, your car insurance has lapsed and that you’ll be in to work on Monday. Then pray the neighbors cat stays home.