Today is Good Friday. It is also Friday the 13th. It is the first time since 1990 that the two days have coincid ed, and this usually happens only four or five times a century.
The next time Good Friday falls on Friday the 13th will be April 13, 2063, followed by April 13, 2074, April 13, 2085 and April 13, 2096.
While it may seem ironic that a day called 'good' coincides with a day which, according to superstition, is considered unlucky, there might be a connection between the two days.
According to the Ken Collins' Web site, calling the day of the crucifixion of Jesus 'good' is peculiar to English. In German, for example, an obsolete word meaning 'mourning' is used because that is the day the disciples mourned.
The word 'good', in fact, might be a contraction of 'God's', as in God's Friday, the Web site suggests.
When asked to comment on any possible relationship between Good Friday and Friday the 13th, Mr Collins e-mailed Young Post this reply: