Happy Friday the 13th! For many, Friday the 13th is an unlucky day because the number 13 is associated with evil. But in other cultures, other numbers have unlucky meanings associated with them. This infographic (from Smartling) explains which numbers are considered unlucky by other countries and why – often, it’s because of word associations (for example, the number 4 in Chinese and Japanese languages is pronounced the same as or similar to the word for “death”). This is excellent information to know if you’re traveling to another country or hosting those from other cultures here in the United States – it’s always worth avoiding offending or frightening someone!
Surprisingly, today is the first Friday the 13th of 2013. But it won’t be the last – December 13th also falls on a Friday.
