Friday the 13th superstitions – what brings us bad luck? From breaking a mirror to putting new shoes on the table

FRIDAY the 13th superstitions can be traced back further than the slasher movies of the same name, right back to the Last Supper.

But what brings us bad luck on this most feared of dates?

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When is the next Friday the 13th?

Friday the 13th takes place at least once every year.

This year's first the Friday 13th fell in January.

The second is today: Friday, October the 13th.

Friday the 13th is considered one of the most unlucky days in the calendar, with widespread superstitions in the UK.

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Why is Friday the 13th considered unlucky?

Many of the superstitions related to Friday the 13th stem back to the Last Supper, which was attended by 13 people — Jesus and his 12 disciples — when Judas Iscariot betrayed Christ.

The date being considered unlucky is also understood to be related to King Philip IV of France, who arrested hundreds of Knights Templar on Friday 13 October 1307, the majority of whom were burned at the stake.

In the Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer also referred to the unlucky day, saying "and on a Friday fell all this misfortune".

Thanks to a string of events that have occurred on this day, many feel it is jinxed and pay particular care to stay out of harm's way when it comes around.

The fear is so widespread that psychologists have even come up with a word for those who suffer from it: paraskevidekatriaphobia.

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What are the spookiest things that have happened on Friday the 13th?

In 2017, there were plenty of unfortunate occurrences on the notorious date.

Some Christians were worried that the world was going to end on January, Friday 13, 2017.

Also, the legendary horror writer who penned the Exorcist, William Peter Blatty, passed away.

This news followed the death of the Catholic priest who inspired the iconic horror.

And the child actor who played Damien in The Omen, who punched two cyclists in a road rage attack, arrived for sentencing in court on the same day.

While this trail of destruction may seem like too much of a coincidence, it's far from unusual for bad things to happen on Friday the 13th.

Tupac Shakur's mysterious death, the sinking of the Costa Concordia, and Buckingham Palace being bombed by the Nazis are among the chaos to have ensued on the spooky date.

What are the top superstitions in the UK?

• Avoid walking under a ladder
• Touching wood
• Breaking a mirror
• Blessing someone when they've sneezed
• Crossing your fingers
• Picking up a penny
• Breaking a wishbone and making a wish
• Throwing salt over your shoulder because you spilled it
• Avoiding opening an umbrella inside
• Avoiding putting new shoes on the table
• Avoiding telling anyone your birthday wish when blowing out your candles
• Saluting a magpie
• Avoiding passing someone on the stairs
• Ensuring you have something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue, on yours or a friend's wedding day
• Worrying about Friday 13th approaching
• Avoiding the number 13
• Avoiding walking over three drains
• Avoiding the number 666
• Avoiding seeing the bride in their wedding dress before their wedding day
• Avoiding walking over a crack
• Avoiding eating cheese before bed
• Avoiding letting a black cat cross your path
• Having your husband carry you over the threshold of your new home
• Avoiding stepping on a grate
• Ensuring the bride (yourself or a friend) has not worn her complete wedding clothes before the day
• Avoiding lighting three cigarettes with one match
• Pushing a spoon through the bottom of an empty eggshell after finishing it
• Carrying a lucky rabbit's foot around with you
• Cutting off both ends of the loaf of bread
• Making sure you haven't left a white tablecloth on a table overnight
• Never giving gloves as a present

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Do hotels skip a 13^th floor?

Many hotels avoid the 13th floor, reserving it for storage and maintenance or skipping it entirely, due to many people’s morbid fear of the number 13.

These include the Carlton Hotel in London, which skips from floor 12 to 14.

And to top it off, some planes may also not have a row 13.