It’s Friday the 13th!  Again.  We should be rather embarrassed by this old folk superstition combining an ‘unlucky number ‘with an ‘unlucky day’ but there are actually far more amusing superstitions out there to be sniggered at so let’s take a look at some.

• In India, pregnant woman don’t go outside during eclipses in case  their babies are born with a facial birthmark.
• In Korea, if you leave a fan on in a closed room it will suffocate the occupants. Not circulate the air as one might expect but instead suck it up into its steely vortex.
• Before travelling in Russia, one should ALWAYS sit on their luggage beforehand and not just to help close it, or their trip will be marred by ugly air hostesses, lost student rail cards and bad vibes from fellow passengers.

Even better are theatre superstitions. CERTAIN DOOM will come your way if you:

• whistle
• Say ‘Macbeth’ or ‘good luck’
• see a peacock near a theatre (several cases of death by pecking were reported outside the Arcola and the Old Vic last year)

My favourite though has to be an old sailors superstition.  ‘Eat walnuts abroad’ and you’ll almost certainly get bad AIDS.

Anyway enough with time-wasting frippery. Let’s move on to the clever link.  Today, ‘London’s New Scariest Attraction’ – The Ghost Bus Tours – has opened for business to coincide with this ominous date.  Risen from the dead to roam the streets of London is an old Routemaster painted black and refurbished with chandeliers and velvet curtains.   It takes a theatrical and historical tour around areas like The City, Whitehall and the Tower of London, as the creepy conductor also fills you in on the bus’ own sinister history as a private hearse….

A cast of actors play employees of the company and bring the story to life from a paranoid Health and Safety officer to a grieving widow. Although the action happens on both decks, CCTV of both levels is shown on plasma screens around the bus and a few ghosts make appearances as well.

If you fancy taking a trip with the Necrobus Company it runs from Thursday-Saturday at 7:30 and 9:30pm for £15 a ticket (£10 concs).  Visit: www.theghostbustours.com to book tickets.

EM