12.12.12

Let's Celebrate: Year 12 --- Month 12 --- Date 12
Hour 12 --- Minute 12 --- Second 12
Its 12.12.12 - 12:12:12

This is the last unique date of this century.
We have to wait for 100 years to celebrate these dates again.

12/12/12 Is Here: How to Celebrate the Century's Last Repeating Date

For those who like to get a bit nerdy with their numbers, one of the century's most significant dates is approaching. Wednesday is 12/12/12, the last of the great repeating dates to occur in our lifetimes -- unless you're planning to live until Jan. 1, 2101, that is.

Despite its auspicious status, 12/12/12 doesn't seem to be quite as big a deal as 11/11/11 was. That milestone date had the added bonus of being a binary number; that's why it was also known as Nerd New Year (binary joke tagline: "it's ON!"). It was also Veteran's Day, of course, making 11:11 a.m. on that Nov. 11 even more sublime than normal.

So how to celebrate 12/12/12? Read all the signs in your daily horoscope? Bowl a perfect game in 12 strikes? Crank up "The 12 Days of Christmas" 12 times until your work colleagues run you out on a rail?

Well, first of all, there's the Concert for Sandy Relief, taking place at Madison Square Garden Wednesday night. The lineup is truly star-studded -- from Clapton to McCartney via the Stones, the Who and the Boss, Bruce Springsteen. It'll be streaming live on nearly 30 websites, including YouTube, MTV.com and Hulu. There are worse ways to spend an evening, and it's for a good cause.

(Appropriately for such an event, some wags on social media are calling 12/12/12 "National Soundcheck Day." That is: "one, two. One, two. One, two.")

Meanwhile, the collaborative film project One Day on Earth is filming again, following on from its successful 10.10.10 and 11.11.11 events. The creators will take any video you care to upload to the site and edit it into a movie showing life around the globe. (To get an idea of what that looks like, check out the similarly excellent Ridley Scott-produced documentary "Life in a Day" on Netflix streaming.)

If you're in the mood to get hitched, and you're anywhere near Fort Myers Beach in Florida, you're in luck. There you will find an event called "Weddings in Paradise," which The American Academy of Wedding Professionals apparently dubbed the "wedding event of the century."

Couples can get married for $250 a head, or $500 each if you want to do it on the stroke of 12:12 p.m. The organizers are at pains to point out that it isn't a Moonie-style mass wedding; every marriage will be conducted individually. That said, the event is expected to break a world record for most marriages in a single day. If you don't want to go the whole hog, there's also a Chinese-style mass lantern release at sunset that should at least make for a great Instagram shot.

In Asian countries, where 12 is almost as lucky a number as 11, expectant mothers are once again booking themselves in for C-sections to ensure a fortuitous birth date for their progeny. According to numerology, anyone born on the 12th will be highly imaginative, quick-witted and artistic. And a triple 12 in your birthdate? Make of that what you will.

How will you be celebrating 12/12/12? Let us know in the comments.

12.12.12... a dozen reasons to party

12.12.12... a dozen reasons to party
If Lucknowites just need a reason to party, then the 12th day of the 12th month of the 12th year of this century surely is a good one.

After all, the date is not likely to be repeated. And so, city folk are being given an opportunity to remember it by letting their hair down. Party planners and some disc-cum-lounges have organized dos, aimed mainly at drawing in the younger set, in Lucknow today. As Anupam Shah, executive director of a lounge on Kanpur road explains, a party of 12/12/12 was a foregone conclusion for the management. He says, "We have organized a 'Live Life King Size' party for the college-going crowd as well as the young couples from afternoon till night. It is an interesting date and such a repetition of numbers will not happen again in this century at least. So, why not make the most of it. As it were, the party culture is coming into the city in a big way. People, especially youngsters, like to spend on such entertainment. They have begun to think beyond the regular movie and a dinner outing."

Not to be outdone, college-goer and party planner Shaurya Dwivedi too is getting together friends and friends of friends today for a 'Doomsday'themed party at a centrally-located lounge in the city. "Sort of merging the unique date and predictions of the world ending on December 21 together," smiles he in explanation, adding, "We even plan to do up the venue with pictures of calamities around the world." explains Shaurya. Hardly an apt setting for a party with giant blowups of hurricanes, but Shaurya is convinced it will work. Another lounge in the city is also hosting a 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara' party today. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime date and we don't want to miss celebrating the day," says a representative of the lounge, not wishing to be named.

Public dos aside, there are private parties being organized also. Dr Shaleen Chandra realised that this year his anniversary, December 12, is a unique day and decided to make a celebration out of it. "I got married 18 years ago and this year our anniversary day will read 12/12/12. It struck me as remarkable. It won't be repeated in my lifetime, and so, I decided to throw a big party for my friends and relatives. Actually the thought had been on my mind since last year and we had been planning extensively for it." Likewise, banker Nitish Garg says he decided to make a big celebration of his father, GD Garg's 60th birthday which falls today, December 12, when he realized the date would read 12/12/12. "My father has never celebrated his birthday," says Nitish, adding, "but this year is certainly special. He's turning 60 and the date will never be repeated. All this definitely called for a celebration. So we went ahead and booked a hall and called the entire family to be a part of the do."

Cricketer Yuvraj Singh is also making most of the day.

Co-incidentally his birthday falls on Dec 12 and while last year it was a low key affair due to his illness, this year Yuvraj is going all out with the celebrations, his mother Shabnam was quoted as telling some time ago. And the reason is the date, 12/12/12, today.

12/12/12: Dozens of ways to seize the day, month, year

TWELVE NOTABLE TWELVES

12 months in a year.

12 hours on a clock face.

12 inches in a foot.

12 strikes to bowl a perfect game.

12 people have walked on the moon.

12 face cards in a deck.

12 days of Christmas.

12 apostles of Jesus.

12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous.

12 jurors in felony trials.

12 signs of the Zodiac.

12 pairs of ribs in most humans.

5:23PM EST December 11. 2012 - The clock's a tickin' to make plans for 12-12-12. It is the last repeating-number date of the century, and just possibly holds a bit of magic.

At least that seems to be the thinking of people the world over who have circled the date on their calendars, to walk down the aisle, go to a Bruce Springsteen-Bon Jovi benefit concert for Superstorm Sandy victims in New York or meditate with the masses for world peace in Auckland, New Zealand.

For thousands wanting to tie the knot, it's just the beginning. Ever forget your anniversary, just the single most important day of your life?

That likely will not happen for people getting married on the memorable 12-12-12. Dozens of scenarios are unfolding across the USA to help people get to the courthouse on time:

-- In Los Angeles, the county clerk's office is expanding hours and allowing people to apply online for licenses ahead of time.

-- In Seattle, many same-sex couples seized the day 12-9-12, the first chance they were legally allowed to get hitched, but others opted to say "I do" on 12-12-12 instead.

-- In Fort Myers Beach, Fla., the really hard core can get married at 12:12 on 12-12-12 in what the American Academy of Wedding Planners is calling the "wedding event of the century." For $500, you get a marriage license, an individualized wedding ceremony and entrance to a day of festivities.

"Iconic dates have become a wedding trend in the United States, reaching new heights when over 65,000 couples tied the knot on 7-7-'07," says Brian Beitler, chief marketing officer for David's Bridal.

But if you've got cold feet, he says, you can always wait for the next easy-to-remember anniversary, 11-12-13. That date already is being chosen for weddings by many brides.

When the numbers line up for Abbigail Smith, she's blowing out the candles. She toldThe Grand Rapids Press in Michigan that she has been waiting to celebrate turning 12 on 12-12-12 ever since she was 6.

The number 12-12 is one of the combinations that can bring good luck and fortune in China. According to the South China Morning Post, many private doctors are being booked for Caesarean births. The reason, it says: Dec. 12 stands for love, but a greater urgency to have children was felt on 11-11-11 (eternal love) and 10-10-10 (perfection).

Die-hard fans of the number 12 -- dubbed "dozenalists" -- say the real time to celebrate is 2016 because they are counting in base 12. The rest of us learn to count in base 10. That new year will be huge to the dozenalists.

"Decimal year 2016 will be dozenal year 1200, which we're all really looking forward to," says Donald Goodman, president of The Dozenal Society of America.

Others can't stop imagining what comes next. On Twitter, @Jin_Campbell wrote: "Tomorrow At 12 mins,12 secs after 12 o' clock on Dec 12th, the time will be 12:12:12,12/12/12 & 12 days before Christmas."

Once-in-a-lifetime 12/12/12 date spawns mass weddings, superstitions

From India to Las Vegas, superstitious lovebirds and numbers geeks are reveling in a once-in-a-lifetime Wednesday event: the date 12/12/12.

Sure, it might be just another set of numbers for some. But unlike the past 11 years, this will be the last such triple date for almost a century -- until January 1, 2101.

That means one last chance for couples to get hitched on such an easy-to-remember wedding date (read: anniversary date).

Those tying the knot at the Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel have 40 different 12/12/12 wedding packages to choose from. Six of those options include an Elvis impersonator. Others include pirate, gangster and gothic themes.

"Besides a traditional wedding, the most popular is Elvis in a pink Caddy, where Elvis drives the couple down the aisle in a pink Cadillac," said general manager Brian Mills, who doubles as an Elvis impersonator.

From midnight to midnight, more than 100 couples will walk or ride down the aisle at Viva Las Vegas. That's more than 10 times the number of couples who get hitched on a typical Wednesday in December, Mills said.

"The charismatic and fun-loving couple that gets married on a 12 day is lucky and balanced, but seeking constant goals to achieve,"the chapel's website explains. "The 'go-getting' 1 and the 'sensitive' 2 make this a very balanced number.

"1 is the vibration of 'new beginnings' and starting things afresh. The 2 vibration is about seeking 'balance' and that's certainly something that many will struggle with -- balancing the bank balance, balancing the food and beverage intake, balancing the emotions ... balancing in every way."

For professional numerologists, 12/12/12 isn't just a cool repetition of digits or a lucky day for lovers.

It's a fantastic day to start a new business venture or make a significant purchase, Indian numerologist Swetta Jumaani said.

According to numerology, 12 is considered a "three" number because the digits add up to three.

And three is a very good number because it corresponds with the largest planet, Jupiter, in addition to wealth. (In case you're wondering, the No. 1 planet is the sun, and the No. 2 planet is the moon.)

"If you're in a business of trading money, or the buying and selling of anything, tomorrow is a good day to make investments," Jumaani said Tuesday. "If you want to buy something -- property, if you want to buy gold -- it'd be a good day."

But Wednesday is a terrible day to wear black, she said.

"Black is a very inauspicious color. Something bad always happens," Jumaani said.

Halfway across the world in Alabama, Kiam Moriya will turn 12 on 12/12/12 -- at exactly 12:12 p.m., AL.com reported.

"It's like one minute out of a whole lifetime," Kiam told the news site. "You know, it's all 12s."

Wednesday also marks a milestone for the Vatican, where Pope Benedict XVI will send his first official tweet to the world.

It's unclear whether the pope chose 12/12/12 for the digits or for some other reason. But more than 600,000 followers are eagerly waiting to see what guidance @Pontifex will offer in 140 characters or less.

Despite the weddings, superstitions and inaugural papal tweet, underwhelmed Twitter users griped about all the brouhaha.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's 12.12.12 and...... Nothing happened," Aazief Khalid of Malaysia tweeted Wednesday.

And nothing like it will happen again for almost 100 years.

12-12-12: Is today a good day for making a new beginning in life?

12-12-12: Is today a good day for making a new beginning in life?
Mankind's belief in dates where the day, month and year all harmonise would have been put to the acid test if the ill-fated Titanic had rammed into an iceberg on December 12, 1912.

The collision happened on April 14, 1912, so the belief that synchronised, sequentially-numbered dates are lucky has endured. Jessica Ferri's blog notes that David's Bridal (one of the largest bridal retailers in the US) has estimated that approximately 7,500 brides will tie the knot today, a whopping 1,446% increase from December 12, 2011.

And AFP estimates that Singapore will see 540 couples getting married today, eight times the number married on the same day last year, and Hong Kong four times as many. Marry Abroad UK is reported as saying that there has been a 15% increase in inquiries about 12-12-12 even though the date falls outside the traditional wedding season of May to September. American numerologist Daniel Hardt has noted, "The date reduces to 11 (12 + 12 + 2012), which connotes a high degree of spiritual awareness and also brings sensitivity and romance to the marriage, but there is a danger of one or both parties taking things too seriously."

The only other hitch is that 12-12-12 falls on a Wednesday and not a weekend. In India, the media has already informed us that quite a number of expecting parents are keen on having their babies delivered today. The exact number will be known in a few days. With competition for everything getting so intense, being born on the right day could give the tiny tot the winning edge, or so parents would like to believe.

Who knows, a future prime minister, the next Sachin Tendulkar or India's second Nobel laureate for literature may be born today when Rajinikanth's fans will be celebrating his 62nd birthday!