ByCHRIS MELORE, US ASSISTANT SCIENCE EDITOR
Published:18:32 GMT, 13 February 2026|Updated:18:33 GMT, 13 February 2026
Friday the 13th and its reputation of bringing bad luck has been linked to one of the most infamous betrayals in history - the crucifixion of Jesus.
The ominous date on the calendar has become tied to all sorts of superstitions which allegedly bring the victim misfortune which can last for years, such as breaking a mirror, walking under a ladder, opening an umbrella indoors, and seeing a black cat cross in front of you.
However, the root of all this bad luck is believed to have started at the Last Supper, attended byJesus and his 12 disciplesalmost 2,000 years ago.
It was there that Judas Iscariot, the 13th guest is said to have betrayed Jesus to the chief priests of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish religious council, who handed Jesus over to the Roman governor Pontius Pilate fortrial and crucifixion on a Friday.
Since that time, the number 13 has been associated with negativity and misfortune within the Christian and Catholic faith, oftenlinked to death and betrayal.
This stigma eventually began to focus on Fridays, as Jesus was crucified on Good Friday, leading Christians to observe a period of fasting and penance in memory of that day.
This wasn't the only major religious betrayal on Friday the 13th, however, as King Philip IV of France and Pope Clement V orchestrated a massive, coordinated betrayal and mass arrest of the Knights Templar, a powerful Christian military order, in 1307.
The leader of that medieval order, Grand Master Jacques de Molay, is said to have cursed both men for their actions on Friday the 13th as he was burned at the stakes. Both the king and pope died within a year, cementing the date's infamous reputation.
Source: Drudge Report
