Defy Superstition Day

What the day is

Defy Superstition Day is observed on September 13. It encourages people to confront a superstition they have lived with and see that nothing happens. The date is not accidental, since thirteen is the best-known unlucky number, though the origin of the day itself is not documented.

The day is a good-humored one, and nobody needs to feel foolish for having a lucky charm or a habit of knocking on wood. Most superstitions are harmless, and many people keep them for the comfort of a familiar ritual.

Origin and background

The fear of the number thirteen has a name, triskaidekaphobia. Its origins are not certain. Some trace it to the Last Supper, where thirteen sat at the table, and others to a Norse myth in which a thirteenth guest at a banquet brought disaster. Whatever its roots, the belief is powerful. Many hotels and office buildings skip the thirteenth floor in their numbering, and some airlines have no thirteenth row.

Other superstitions have more practical roots. Walking under a ladder is unwise for a good reason, since a tool or a person might fall on you. A broken mirror was thought to bring seven years of bad luck, a belief that goes back to the Romans, who thought a person's soul was renewed every seven years. Black cats are considered unlucky in the United States, but in Britain and Japan they are often thought of as lucky.

Psychologists say superstitions persist because they give a feeling of control in uncertain situations, and because we tend to remember the times a ritual seemed to work and forget the times it did not. Athletes and performers are famously attached to them.

How to take part

• Pick a harmless superstition, such as opening an umbrella indoors or stepping on a crack, and do it on purpose.
• Call the number thirteen lucky for the day, and use it for a seat, a ticket or a game.
• Look up the origin of a superstition you follow, and decide if it still makes sense.
• Do not walk under a ladder, since the practical risk is real, even if the luck is not.
• Ask friends about their superstitions and rituals, which tend to produce good stories.