Friday the 13th - 9 things you may not know about this superstition-filled day

Ah, Friday the 13th...the day that some of us want to stay in bed and not risk leaving the house for fear of unlucky things/events occurring to them.
Regardless of where you are on this famed day, we've got 9 cool pieces of information about Friday the 13th to share with you!

One theory originates via early Christianity as there were 13 people in attendance at the Last Supper (Jesus + 12 apostles.)  At the Last Supper, Judas,  who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th member of the party to arrive. 

8, 9, 10, 11, 12...14

Most elevators do not have a marked 13th floor out of respect for this superstition. Next time you're in an elevator, check the button pad and see if you can find a "13."

Across the Atlantic in Italy, Friday the 17th is regarded as even unluckier than the 13th.

This year, we'll get a double shot of this "unlucky" day as it occurs in  April and July.

Way too cute to be bad luck.

Black cats get a bad rap for Friday the 13th as they're (quite incorrectly) seen as bad luck.
The Scottish believe that a strange black cat's arrival to the home signifies prosperity and are  considered good luck in  Britain and Japan. 

With only 365 days in a year (well, technically 365.25, which gives us a leap year ever four years) some of us have birthdays on the 13th of the month. These (un)lucky folks include Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen from Full House,  Julia Louis Dreyfus from Seinfeld and one of our favourite actors, Steve Buscemi from ConAir, Armageddon and Boardwalk Empire, to name a few.

For those who prefer two wheels over four, motorcyclists  from all over the Great White North look forward to Friday the 13th as they gather in Port Dover, ON. Thousands of these folks have participated in this tradition that originated in the early 80's.

Grab the popcorn and lock your doors

On the silver screen, the movie franchise "Friday the 13th" has seen a dozen movies and a plethora of other books, TV shows, merchandise and comics and is well recognized in pop culture. The killer in the hockey mask, Jason Voorhees, have been scaring audiences since 1980.

World renowned horror writer Stephen King, has a fear of the number 13. This fear is called “triskaidekaphobia.”
Taking it one step further, folks who fear Friday the 13th, have something called “paraskevidekatriaphobia” or “friggatriskaidekaphobia."