13 (thirteen) ( Listen) is the natural number after 12 and before 14. It is the smallest integer with eight letters in its spelled out name in English. It is also the age at which children become teenagers.

In speech, the numbers 13 and 30 are often confused. When carefully enunciated, they differ in which syllable is stressed: 13 vs 30 . However, in dates such as 1300 ("thirteen hundred") or when contrasting numbers in the teens, the stress generally shifts to the first syllable: 13 .

Strikingly similar folkloric aspects of the number 13 have been noted in various cultures around the world: one theory is that this is due to the cultures employing lunar-solar calendars (there are approximately 12.41 lunations per solar year, and hence 12 "true months" plus a smaller, and often portentous, thirteenth month). This can be witnessed, for example, in the "12 days of Christmas" of Western European tradition.

Christianity

• There were thirteen participants at the Last Supper. Tradition states that Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th to sit at the table.

• Thirteen was once associated with the Epiphany by Christians, as it is said the child Jesus received the Magi on his thirteenth day of life.

Sikhism

According to famous Sakhi (Evidence) or story of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, when he was an accountant at a town of Sultanpur Lodhi, he was distributing grocery to people and when he gave groceries to the 13th person he stopped there because in Gurmukhi and Hindi the word 13 is called Terah, which means yours. And Guru Nanak kept on saying, "Yours, yours, yours..." remembering God. People reported to the emperor that Guru Nanak was giving out free food to the people. When treasures were checked, there was more money than before.

The word "Waheguru" appears only 13 times in Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy scriptures and the eternal Guru.

The Vaisakhi which commemorates the creation of "Khalsa" or pure Sikh was celebrated on 13th of April for many years.

Ik Onkar also looks like 13.

Judaism

• In Judaism, 13 signifies the age at which a boy matures and becomes a Bar Mitzvah (Age of 12 for Girls, or Bat Mitzvah).
• The number of principles of Jewish faith according to Maimonides
• According to the Torah, God has 13 Attributes of Mercy
• The number of circles, or "nodes", that make up Metatron's Cube in Kaballistic teachings.

Other

• In Mesoamerican divination, 13 is the number of important cycles of fortune/misfortune (see Trecena).
• The number of Norse gods (there were 12) at a banquet that was crashed by the evil god Loki (making 13) who killed Baldr with an arrow/spear made out of mistletoe using Hodr, thus marking the beginning of Ragnarok.
• Halloween's date is 13 reversed.

Unlucky 13

main: Triskaidekaphobia