With a Little Luck: Surviving Friday the 13th

It is upon us again: the dreaded Friday the 13th, the unluckiest day of the year.

According to the Gregorian calendar, a Friday the 13th will occur at least once a year, but no more than three times a year. 2012 is one of the "lucky" ones; we have three Friday the 13ths this year: today, one in April and one in July.

No one can pin down the exact reason for this superstition, but a common theory is that it is actually a combination of two superstitions: that 13 is an irregular, unlucky number and Friday an unlucky day. More recently, people have begun to believe that Friday the 13th is cursed because it was Friday, October 13, 1307, when King Philip IV of France ordered the members of the Knights Templar arrested.

Luckily (wink, wink), we here at Overstock.com have everything you need when it comes to protecting yourself from bad luck. We have plenty of items that you can use on Friday the 13th (or any other day, really) to keep bad luck at bay.

Keep your salt away from danger of spilling with this electric salt mill. Since you only grind what you need, when you want, you won't have to worry about knocking it over, spilling the salt and bringing yourself bad luck. (There are those who say that spilling wine will counteract the bad luck of spilling salt, but for the good of your table linens, I wouldn't recommend that.)

In various cultures around the world, it is believed that giving someone the "evil eye" is a way to curse them into bad luck or injury. Many people will carry a nazar boncugu (commonly known as an evil-eye bead) as protection against the evil eye. Hung in your home or car, or worn on your person, as with this stretch bracelet, the evil-eye bead will protect you from the bad luck that comes from receiving an evil eye. If a nazar boncugu isn't your thing, try a hamsa. A hamsa is a palm-shaped amulet believed to protect the owner from bad luck and attract good fortune. This symbol also represents blessings, power and strength. It is most often seen in the form of a wall hanging in a home and in jewelry. This hamsa pendant is a great way to keep the good luck with you throughout the day.

If you really want to stack the luck odds in your favor, grace your home with a maneki neko. Usually seen in businesses, the lucky cat, or maneki neko, is believed to bring good luck to the owner. A raised right paw is believed to create protection, while a raised left paw is believed to attract money.

Do you have any luck rituals that you follow? Are you doing anything differently on Friday the 13th than you would any other day?

Posted by Emily Harrison