30 Superstitious Conventions

In the Western World, Friday the 13th is considered to be the unluckiest day in the calendar year.

People take both avoidance of the number and date, and holding true to their superstitions, very seriously. Many elevators eliminate listing the 13th floor on their button panel or skip the floor entirely moving from 12 straight to 14. The fear of the day even has its own medical term -- 'Paraskevidekatriaphobia.' Some people are so paralyzed by their fear that they are unable to leave their homes when the day rolls around (which it will three times this year in 2012.)

A hockey mask sporting Jason has become an iconic symbol of the fear that surrounds the day, and the slew of films about the day that he stars in further promotes it.

Though the fear is probably just silly superstition, people will surely be steering clear of black cats and avoiding stepping on cracks -- just in case.