IIt’s the first Friday the 13th of 2024, undoubtedly considered one of the unluckiest days of the calendar year. This year, the date will occur twice, the next time in December. Friday the 13th is known as an unlucky day, but how it got its “spooky” reputation stretches back centuries, although the exact time frame isn’t clear.

The New-York Historical Society says the origin can be traced in part to Jesus’ Last Supper. The story goes that 13 guests attended the Last Supper – Jesus Christ and his 12 apostles – and the next day, Good Friday, was the day of Jesus’ crucifixion.

This gave rise to a superstition among Christians that a table of 13 people “invokes death,” says the New York Historical Society. The superstition was echoed in parts of Europe in the 1690s, where some believed that having 13 people around a table or in a group was bad luck, according to the BBC.

Interestingly, in Western cultures, the number 12 is often seen as a sign of “completion” – the 12 apostles of Jesus, the 12 months of the year, the 12 signs of the zodiac. However, the next number is generally considered to be unlucky.

There are other deaths that some people cite as examples of the unlucky day Friday the 13th. This includes the legend that on Friday, October 13, 1307, over 100 Knights Templar were tortured and killed by France’s King Philip IV.

The fear of the number 13 even has its own name: triskaidekaphobia.

However, Friday the 13th is not an unlucky day everywhere in the world. In Spain, Tuesday the 13th is the day of fear, particularly due to its connection to Mars, the Roman god of war and destruction, and in Italy, 17 is the number associated with fear because the Roman numeral XVII (17) can be rearranged to produce “VIXI,” which means “my life is over” in Latin, according to National Geographic.