Friday The 13th: 13 Things Illinoisans Are Superstitious About

While I was growing up, neither one of my parents showed any signs of being superstitious (they weren't even "a little stitious"), and of my four grandparents, only my maternal grandmother was openly superstitious.

When I say "openly," I mean that she once smacked me in the back of the head for bringing bad luck to her house by opening an umbrella inside. She also yelled at me for putting a shoebox on the kitchen table, not throwing salt over my left shoulder after spilling some, and the worst infraction of them all: whistling at night (she said it summoned ghosts).

I've been around and talked to people enough over the years to realize that I'm not alone in having these experiences. Lots of you have gone though similar things.

So, what's the superstition level at your house?

I Bring All Of This Up Because We've Got A Friday The 13th This Week

I just learned that the maximum number of Friday the 13ths you can have in a calendar year is three, and in 2026 we're getting the max.

• February 13th
• March 13th
• November 13th

Tomorrow is Friday the 13th, which means perfectly rational adults all across Illinois will suddenly refuse to walk under ladders, will go out of their way to avoid black cats, and will absolutely notice if they get 13 fries in the bag at the drive-thru. The question is: are Illinoisans uniquely superstitious?

Not really. We’re practical Midwesterners. We salt the sidewalks, we check the radar, and our biggest ongoing superstitions involve which of our favorite Illinois teams will break our hearts at the worst moment in a season. So, when it comes to superstitions, we’re not much different than the rest of America.

It's Not That We're Really, Seriously Worried About Some Of These Things, It's More Of A Cultural Thing

According to several studies on superstitions, most of us don’t actually believe these things control our fate. But they’re part of the cultural wallpaper. They’re little rituals and tiny habits that make chaotic life feel just a bit more manageable.

My own attitude is that as long as nobody’s using superstition to hurt anyone, it falls squarely into my “live and let live” category. If your best friend won’t schedule surgery on Friday the 13th, or stay on a hotel's 13th floor, that’s their business. If you’re fired up about planning a Friday the 13th party, more power to you.

Having said all that, let's look at what the superstitious among us in Illinois might be focusing on this Friday the 13th.

The Numbers Vary When It Comes To Things We're Superstitious About

Depending on the survey you look at, somewhere between 25% and 40% of Americans admit they’re at least “somewhat” superstitious. Around 10 to 15% say they’re very superstitious. The rest of us claim we’re not, then we'll knock on wood for some goofy reason.

So, in the spirit of Friday the 13th, here are 13 things plenty of Illinoisans (and Americans in general) still side-eye:

• Walking under a ladder

• Breaking a mirror

• Black cats crossing your path

• Opening an umbrella indoors

• The number 13 itself

• Knocking on wood

• Finding a penny heads-up

• Friday the 13th weddings

• Spilling salt and tossing it over your shoulder

• Lucky shirts on game day

• Crossing your fingers

• Saying “quiet” at work

• Making a wish at 11:11