Are the French superstitious about Friday 13th?
Very busy nights in casinos, gamblers take any excuse to gamble though so not significant I think.
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Remember not to walk under any black cats.
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Google says not so much as other Western countries, but some actually consider it a lucky date (hence the gambling as @Vero mentioned).
You’d think the French would be superstitious about it given that the arrest of the Knights Templar in 1307 by King Philip IV, which is supposedly the origin of the date being considered unlucky, happened in France.
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They all thought it served the Templars right so why would they think it generally unlucky. Poor old Templars.
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The Française des Jeux seems to think it is an auspicious day to gamble even more of one’s money away on the slim chance of winning the Loto jackpot (or Euromillions, or whatever it is called these days).
From what I’ve read, they were a particularly unpleasant bunch.
There was a lot of anti-Templar propaganda put out in the 14th century to justify the confiscation of their lands and property - most of it unfounded (like the accusations that they worshipped idols, commited sodomy and blasphemed the Cross).
Of course in their role as Crusaders in the Holy Land they were just as violent and unrelenting as many other Westerner knightly orders and armies involved in the conflict.
But the pogrom against them by Philip IV was motivated mostly by jealousy of their wealth which he coveted (he was also deeply in debt to Templar financiers); they also made enemies elsewhere thanks to the political and financial power they had amassed (the King of England also took the opportunity to grab Templar property).
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Just like tax really, isn’t it.
Apart from the torture and burning at the stake afterwards. 
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The oldest house in our village was originally a Templar house. It’s massive, but has been on the market for a couple of years at only €86K, which gives some idea of its present condition.
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Well it’s been a long time since the last owners moved out. 
Actually we know the owner, but she only lives there in the summer.
Gosh! This property looks rather romantic.
Surprises me how little it costs to buy a house. However, I can well imagine there are plenty of, oft costly, fixings to be done every year.
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Looks more like a money pit to me 
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My mum used to tell me loads of things about superstitions and the like - examples were:
- You must not cut your toenails on a Sunday, nor should you do any sewing
- It is unlucky to buy someone a pair of gloves unless they ask for them
- If you drop a glove, do not say thank you to the person picking it up
- Do not cross knives on a plate as it means you will have an argument with someone.
And regarding Friday the 13th - working for BOAC (now British Airways) it was always said that Friday 13th was one of the best days to fly as there had been less accidents on that day.
Asking people near me it doesn’t appear so. Of course there are several things that allegedly gave rise to the superstition depending on your beliefs. Thirteen seems to be an unlucky number in many western countries - no 13th floor in buildings for example - whereas 4 is avoided in China, particularly in hospitals as the number 4 sounds like the word for death.
We have a very similar view over the Lot, but don’t have a banqueting hall with a large hole in the roof.
We had one, also abandoned, in the previous village we lived in, funnily enough simply known as the Maison des Templiers. The place had long fallen in rack and ruin, which was an immense shame, as it had a lovely courtyard and building configuration.