Why Is 13 a Lucky Number in Italy?

In Italy, the number thirteen is held as lucky because it is associated with the “Great Goddess,” who is responsible for fertility and lunar cycles. Many Italians believe the number thirteen brings prosperity and life, and it is seen as especially lucky when gambling.

In the Western Hemisphere, the number thirteen is commonly associated with a negative superstition of being unlucky. However, in Italy, the number seventeen is associated with bad luck. When written in Roman Numerals, XVII, seventeen can be rearranged to spell the Roman word VIXI which means “I have lived.” This phrase was often written on ancient gravestones. In Arabic numerals, seventeen resembles hanging gallows, so it is still considered unlucky.

ADVERTISEMENT