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You survived the ides of February
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Today is Friday the 13th, the second one of the year. And if today's association with bad luck isn't enough for you, then look no further than Sunday's bad omen: the Ides of March. So what do we make of these two inauspicious days? The origins of Friday the 13th being unlucky are hard to pin down, though Christianity and Norse mythology regard 13 as an unlucky number of dinner guests, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica. Britannica also points to other biblical references that regard Friday as unlucky, though ultimately it might be the "Friday the 13th" film franchise that's cemented the bad vibes of the day in our minds. Now consider this: The phrase "beware the Ides of March" might indicate that "the ides" should be feared, but they come every month. And last month, they were on none other than Friday the 13th 🙃 Here's how we explained the Ides of March in a newsletter a couple of years ago:
Ancient Romans parsed months a little differently than we do today, dividing months into groupings of days that fell between specific named days of the month: the calends, the nones and the ides. The first day of the month was the “calends,” followed by a period known as “before the nones.” After the nones — the fifth or seventh day of the month, depending on the length of the month — came the period simply known as “before the ides.” That, of course, was followed by the “ides,” which falls on the 15th day in months with 31 days. Following the ides, we have “before the calends,” as the calends would then be the first day of the next month. Complicated enough for you?
Tl;dr, “beware the Ides of March” means “beware March 15.”
But why March? After all, each month has an ides.
History buffs might recognize March 15 as the date Julius Caesar was assassinated, and literature buffs might recognize the line “beware the Ides of March” from Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar.”
In months shorter than 31 days — e.g., February — the ides fall on the 13th. So the first Friday the 13th of 2026 was the ides of February. If all this talk has put you in the mood for some better luck, we have good news: St. Patrick's Day is on Tuesday 🍀 ❤ Team Stylebot
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