Friday the 13th Folklore

 More Utah folklore, this time about Friday the 13th!

Lucky / Unlucky.
stock image from Adobe.

1. It is an unlucky day so keep your fingers crossed (SLC 1963) … is a doubly unlucky day. If you do not have your fingers crossed, a person may say “Jinx on you” and you will then have to do any deed or favor they ask you to (SLC 1958).
2. Children born will always have bad luck but a part of this evil may be avoided by falsifying the record; if such a child ever does have any good fortune, it will be after the death of the last person who knows the true date (SLC 1960).
3. It’s unlucky to get married (Pleasant Grove 1910); …the couple will always have bad luck (SLC 1961).
4. Never sit down at a table with 13 people or bad luck will soon come (SLC 1960).
5. If you break a mirror you will have 7 years of bad luck (Provo 1964).
6. Don’t walk under a ladder or you will have bad luck (SLC 1964).
7. If black is worn then swallow one teaspoonful of salt; if white is worn, swallow one teaspoon of pepper (SLC 1964).
8. Never take a trip or you will have bad luck on your journey (SLC 1964).
9. Don’t wear black or you will soon wear it again in mourning (SLC 1964).
10. If a funeral procession passes you then you are condemned to death (SLC 1964).
11. Should be spent in bed, especially if it is your birthday (SLC 1930s).
12. Get out of bed on the wrong side so it won’t be so unlucky (SLC, 1964).
13. To prevent bad luck you should stay in your house (American Fork 1960).
14. Anything undertaken on Friday the 13th is doomed to fail (SLC 1930) …is an unlucky day for all ventures (Tooele 1964); …everything will go wrong (Kanab, 1960).
15. Don’t go swimming (SLC 1959).
16. Knock on wood to prevent bad luck (SLC 1959).
17. Don’t make a wish (Provo 1964).

These are all from the book Popular Beliefs and Superstitions from Utah (1984), compiled by Anthony S. Cannon.
Available here: https://archive.org/details/popularbeliefssu0000unse/