Superstition that the thirteenth is unlucky

The superstition that the thirteenth is unlucky is invoked when Apostolos Papazoglou chooses his birthday, 13 October, for a coin toss that will determine which hotel site each of his sons develops. The waiters’ warning turns a family business decision into an occasion marked by an omen they consider especially potent in Greece.

The Belief

As Papazoglou tosses an old drachma, the waiters listening to the family’s conversation mutter that important decisions should not be made on the thirteenth of any month. They say the number is unlucky throughout the world, but more so in Greece, and point to the digits of 1453, which add up to thirteen. Their whispered objection contrasts with the practical confidence of the family’s contest: the coin will assign the sites, and the sons’ hotel results will determine who inherits their father’s business empire.

The Coin Toss

The date is not incidental to the scene. Papazoglou has announced the competition during his birthday dinner, while a rich chocolate gateau is being served and Manos and Stephanos are arguing about football. The waiters interpret the timing as more than ignorance, and the maître d’ quietly condemns it as pure stupidity. The coin nevertheless settles the immediate choice: Manos receives the site near the busy port, while Stephanos gets the beach plot. The warning does not prevent the decision; it adds an anxious, superstitious counterpoint to the business test.