Celebrating Friday the 13th New Orleans style
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Friday the 13th has long been associated with bad luck, fear and superstition.
This could be because of the hockey mask-wearing, machete-wielding man living in Camp Crystal Lake, or pure delusion.
But as famed singer-songwriter and musician Stevie Wonder says:
When you believe in things
That you don’t understand,
Then you suffer,
Superstition aint the way”
Folks have been embracing the day for decades, and from it came rituals, activities and new strange beliefs, including the fear of the unlucky number 13, which is also called “triskaidekaphobia.”
The fear of the Friday the 13th day is called “paraskevidekatriaphobia.”
To ward off the negative energy surrounding the day, some will conduct rituals to rid themselves of bad luck. Others consider the day most powerful to bring about good things into one’s life.
In New Orleans, we love a good ritual and one shown on TikTok is a money spell where individuals bury 13 pennies in their yard and recite:
Today I ask for money luck. As it is lucky, it will work today. With these pennies, I display. The money is on its way. The 13th is lucky on witches day. These 13 pennies will bring it my way. This will harm no one in any way, as it is lucky if done on this day.
We’re unsure if the spell works, but if you need change, it’s in the backyard.
Another ritual would be to take either a green or white candle, carve a 13 in it, put oil on it, light it and watch it burn as you meditate and manifest good energy. Other actions to commemorate the day include moon gazing, knocking on wood, wearing charms or crystals or writing mantras.
Ways to celebrate the day are to throw a party with a spooky theme, watch scary movies, maybe the Friday the 13th series, enjoy or share 13 sweet treats with 13 friends, test out a superstition or even visit a haunted place, which, in NOLA, we have many. A final option, if you dare, is to get a tattoo.
UNITED STATES – NOVEMBER 11: Voodoo shop off Bourbon Street in French Quarter of New Orleans, USA (Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images) NEW ORLEANS, LA – OCTOBER 29: Eric Gordon #10 of the New Orleans Pelicans hosts a Halloween event with kids from JUMA Covenant House on October 29, 2015 at the at the Mortuary Haunted House in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2015 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images) NEW ORLEANS – SEPTEMBER 11: Flowers are seen floating in a flooded cemetery September 11, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Rescue efforts and clean up continue in the areas hit by Hurricane Katrina fourteen days after the deadly storm hit. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) The porous soil of New Orleans makes burial in the earth unattractive, and so many people are buried above ground in crypts. Metairie Cemetery is one of the largest. (Photo by Detroit Photographic Company/Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images)
Things to do in New Orleans to acknowledge Friday the 13th:
Visit the New Orleans Nightmare Haunted House as it returns Friday, Sept. 13. Tickets can be purchased through the website.
Visit the Mortuary Hunted House which opens Friday, Sept. 13. Tickets can be purchased through the website.
Spend the night with a ghost or two at the Andrew Jackson Hotel in the historic French Quarter. It is believed to be haunted due to its history of misfortunes. Once a boarding school for orphaned boys burned to the ground claiming the lives of five. Guest have told stories of a young ghost “waking them up” or have seen Mr. Jackson roaming the halls.
Attempt to stay the night at New Orleans’ Haunted Hotel. The home of many murders in the last 200 years. Its haunted origin comes from the story of an axeman who left a trail of blood through the city.
Take a ghost, voodoo, or vampire tour through Downtown or a walk through one of many historic cemeteries.
Have spirits with a spirit. Enjoy a cocktail at Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar, the place where Jean Lafitte was suspected of smuggling and pillaging. Customers have reported seeing Lafitte standing in the dark corners of the bar.
Or make it a group event with the spirits of Jean Lafitte, Andrew Jackson and Marie Laveau being felt at the Old Absinthe House.
Happy Friday the 13th!
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