Halloween 2014 on Friday the 13th for First Time in 666 Years Declared a Hoax

A rumour circulating on social media that Halloween 2014 will take place on Friday the 13th for the first time in 666 years has been declared a hoax.

The fake post was shared on Twitter by user @Dory, which was retweeted more than 1,300 times.

Declaring the hoax, the conspiracy theory and rumour-debunking website Snopes said: "Basically, this is a gullibility joke that plays on the idea of the reader's failing to make the connection that a holiday observed on the fixed date of October 31 could not possibly ever have fallen on the 13th day of the month (Friday or otherwise). The mention of "666 years" since the last supposed occurrence of that phenomenon is a reference to the number famously cited as the "Number of the beast" described in the New Testament's Book of Revelation, and of course the selection of Friday the 13th is a nod to the calendar date traditionally considered to be an especially unlucky one in western superstition."

However, many Twitter users fell for the false post.