WITH Coronavirus dominating people’s thoughts and conversations at the moment, the last thing we need is Friday the 13th, you might say.

Well, here is a quick guide to the date people seem to dread:

1 It is also known as Black Friday in some countries. 

2 It is seen as an unlucky day in Western superstition.

3 The superstition only gained widespread distribution in the 19th century. 

4 The fear of the number 13 has been given a scientific name - triskadekaphobia. 

5 But the fear of Friday the 13th is known as paraskevidekatriaphobia. 

6 It is unknown how the superstition to this day started, but both Friday and the number 13 are connected with the crucifixion of Christ. The last supper took part on a Thursday and there were 13 people at the table. 

7 Friday has been seen as an unlucky day to undertake journeys or begin new projects since the 14th century.

8 The publication of Thomas W Lawson's novel, Friday, the Thirteenth, may have contributed to the superstition. It is about an unscrupulous broker who takes advantage of the superstition to create a Wall Street panic on a Friday the 13th. 

9 On Friday, October 13, 1307, hundreds of Knights Templar were arrested in France, possible giving rise to the fear on that day.

In the United States, an estimated 17 to 21 million people are affected by the fear of this day, according to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in North Carolina.

While in Italy, Friday the 17th is seen as a day for bad luck.