Why This Friday the 13th Won’t Be the Last of 2017

2 minute read

The New Year’s first Friday the 13th is already among us, which may be a blow to those hoping this year would feel a little luckier than the last.

Tomorrow’s Friday the 13th isn’t the only one we’ll see in 2017, either: We get another unfortunate Friday in the weeks leading up to Halloween in October. This isn’t particularly shocking, since any month that begins on a Sunday has a Friday the 13th. Not that you needed another reason to be angry at 2016.

For those of you with paraskevidekatriaphobia (a particular fear of Friday the 13th), it could be worse. While most years have one or two Fridays that fall on the 13th of the month, 11 years this century will contain three. It will happen again in 2021.

Read More: Here’s Why Friday the 13th Is Considered Unlucky

Historians have traced the negative association with the number 13 back to Christian tradition, such as how 13 people attended the Last Supper before the Friday Jesus was crucified. But popular culture, including the Friday the 13th films, has certainly helped fuel the superstition.

So we wish you well if you’re a believer, and hope your day is free of broken mirrors and black cats of any kind.

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Write to Julia Zorthian at julia.zorthian@time.com