L'histoire des numéros porte-bonheur et malchanceux dans le monde

Have you ever skipped a hotel floor because it was numbered thirteen? Or hesitated before choosing a number that “just didn’t feel right”? Numbers are supposed to be neutral—tools for counting, measuring, organizing. Yet across cultures and centuries, some have been feared, others revered.

Why do certain digits seem to carry fate on their backs?

There’s no logic to it—and yet there’s meaning everywhere. The story behind lucky and unlucky numbers is woven from folklore, religion, ancient languages, and emotional memory. Even in the most rational societies, numbers can shape decisions in ways that logic alone can’t explain.

A Global Pattern That Defies Mathematics

In many Western cultures, the number 13 is seen as unlucky. But in parts of Asia, it’s the number 4 that causes discomfort. Meanwhile, 7 is widely celebrated, while 8 is tied to prosperity in China. These patterns might seem random. They’re not.

According to a 2021 global psychology study by the University of Toronto, over 62% of adults in surveyed countries reported avoiding at least one number for cultural or personal reasons. That avoidance showed up in business decisions, travel plans, and even medical appointments.

Numbers, it turns out, aren’t just symbols. They carry cultural weight. And the meanings we attach to them often run deeper than we realize.

Why 13 Still Haunts the Western World

In much of Europe and the Americas, 13 has been considered unlucky for generations. Some blame the Last Supper, where Judas—often portrayed as the betrayer—was the thirteenth guest. Others point to Norse mythology, where Loki crashes a feast of twelve gods, bringing chaos as the thirteenth arrival.

Buildings skip the 13th floor. Airlines skip row 13. In some hotels, room 12A replaces 13 altogether.

But the fear isn’t always religious. It’s psychological. Thirteen breaks the rhythm of twelve—a number long associated with order (months in a year, hours on a clock, signs of the zodiac). When that rhythm breaks, discomfort creeps in.

Even people who don’t believe in superstition often find themselves avoiding it. Just in case.

Lire aussi: 10 superstitions fascinantes du monde entier

When 4 Feels Like Death

In Japan, China, and Korea, the number 4 is often avoided—not because of a myth, but because of how it sounds. In Mandarin and Japanese, the word for “four” closely resembles the word for “death.” This phonetic similarity has had real-world consequences.

Elevators skip the fourth floor. Hospital rooms avoid the number. Some apartment buildings replace it entirely.

It’s not that people believe the number causes harm—but when you associate a word with something as final as death, it begins to shape behavior. Not out of fear, but out of emotional habit.

That’s the difference between belief and association. You don’t need to believe in something to be affected by it.

A Woman Who Changed Her Wedding Date

Maria Lemos had planned her wedding for the 4th of April. Invitations had been sent, venues booked. But when her grandmother, who grew up in Macau, found out, she asked her to reconsider. “Four-four,” she said softly, “means double death.”

Maria laughed it off—until the date began to feel heavy. Guests asked her about the coincidence. A florist canceled unexpectedly. A seamstress got sick. Nothing dramatic, just enough for doubt to settle in.

Eventually, she changed the date to the 8th. Not because she believed in omens, but because she didn’t want her marriage to begin under a shadow.

To this day, she says she sleeps better knowing she listened.

When Numbers Mean Wealth

In China, the number 8 is almost the opposite of 4. It sounds like the word for “wealth” or “prosper.” For this reason, license plates, phone numbers, and even addresses with eights sell for higher prices. The Beijing Olympics famously began on 8/8/08 at 8:08pm—a moment chosen not for convenience, but for its promise of luck.

In a market where belief shapes value, numbers become currency. The digit becomes more than math—it becomes desire.

And when that desire is shared widely enough, it becomes real.

The 7 That Sits in the Middle

In many Western cultures, 7 is the safe number. The spiritual number. Seven days in a week. Seven wonders of the world. Seven heavens in Islamic tradition. It’s balanced, centered, deeply ingrained in structure.

People often pick 7 when asked to choose a number at random. It’s not too high. Not too low. Just stable.

Its power isn’t fear or fortune. It’s comfort.

When asked why they chose it, most people shrug and say, “I don’t know. It just feels right.”

That feeling is legacy, passed through centuries of stories and sacred math.

An Artist Who Painted by Number

Leonardo Fabbri, an artist from Tuscany, once painted a series of abstract works inspired by dreams. But when it came time to number them, he hesitated. The piece finished last—painted in silence after his mother passed—was marked “XIII.”

It sold first.

Years later, a collector asked him why he didn’t change it. “Because that one,” he said, “was honest. And some things aren’t unlucky. They’re just hard.”

That moment reframed 13 not as danger, but as depth.

Sometimes, what we fear in a number is just the part of life we don’t want to face.

When Superstition Becomes Structure

Many high-rises in New York still skip the 13th floor. Airlines avoid row 13. In Italy, Friday the 17th is feared, not the 13th. In India, 8 is sometimes avoided due to associations with Saturn’s influence in astrology.

These choices aren’t just about folklore. They shape architecture, marketing, pricing, and design.

Real estate developers in Asia often avoid the number 4 in building names to appeal to buyers. Phone companies have adjusted number offerings based on cultural preferences. Hospitals design room numbers with care—not for the patients, but for the families who visit them.

It’s a quiet negotiation between tradition and modern life. No one wants to offend a shadow—even when they don’t believe in it.

Une question qui mérite d'être posée

If numbers are supposed to be neutral, why do they carry so much weight?

Could it be that we’ve always needed something small and simple to hold our hopes—or our fears? Maybe numbers are just empty containers we fill with meaning. And once filled, they don’t feel empty anymore.

What happens when we stop counting and start believing?

Conclusion

Le story behind lucky and unlucky numbers is more than superstition. It’s a map of how cultures shape meaning out of symbols, how memory and language build emotion into something as cold and logical as a number.

We avoid certain digits not because we’re irrational—but because we’re human. We crave patterns. We listen to echoes. We carry stories forward, even when we forget where they started.

In a world ruled by data, numbers still find ways to feel. To warn. To bless. To remind us that behind every choice—even the number we write on a door—there’s a story we’re still telling ourselves.

And maybe that’s the point.

The power never belonged to the number.

It belonged to the people who gave it meaning.

FAQ: Story behind lucky and unlucky numbers

1. Why is the number 13 considered unlucky in the West?
It’s often linked to religious and mythological stories, like Judas at the Last Supper or Norse tales of chaos.

2. Why do some Asian cultures avoid the number 4?
Because the word for “four” sounds like the word for “death” in several Asian languages, leading to discomfort and avoidance.

3. What number is considered lucky in Chinese culture?
The number 8, due to its pronunciation, is associated with wealth and prosperity. It’s often sought out for addresses and phone numbers.

4. Do superstitions about numbers affect business?
Yes. Real estate, airlines, and product pricing often reflect cultural preferences to avoid offending or unsettling customers.

5. Are beliefs about numbers changing in modern times?
They evolve slowly. While younger generations may be more skeptical, many still follow these patterns out of habit or respect.