The last repetitive date you and I will see in our lifetime

Published Tuesday, December 11, 2012

By Vicky Kapur

Yes it’s true. There is no 13th month on the calendar, and after Wednesday’s 12/12/12, the next such repetitive date will occur on January 1, 2101, when the date will be 01/01/01 again.

That is a good 88 years away.

Add that ‘88’ to your current age, and with a hand on your heart, tell me that you expect to live that long. Unfortunately for a majority of us, tomorrow is the last repetitive date that we will see in our lifetime.

Why not make the most of it, then?

Many people around the world have, indeed, decided to make it a memorable one.

Some have their weddings planned for this date, others have planned (much in advance, it must be said) to deliver babies on this special day, while still others are going to party the whole day (and night) long.

Interestingly, it is also a day before the no-moon night, which means that expecting mothers that belong to a section of the world’s population (read: superstitious) have decided to not take this once-in-a-century opportunity to have a baby on this special day. The Hindu calendar calls the no-moon night ‘Amavasya’, and it is generally considered an inauspicious date.

In addition, for another large section of the world’s population, the most auspicious date in a century came and went about a year ago – 11/11/11 – for the Chinese. According to news reports, the number of Hong Kong couples planning to marry on 12/12/12 – still seen as a fairly fortunate date by feng shui masters – has shrunk compared to the more auspicious 11/11/11 last year.

But in America, there has indeed been a rush for wedding bookings, especially in Las Vegas. The Clark County’s marriage license bureau has reportedly seen a 75 per cent bump last week in online pre-registration for the date. They have aptly staffed up for it after the area’s wedding chapel managers tipped them that their bookings for the week of 12/12/12 were brisk.

In fact, MGM Grand’s Forever Grand Chapel in Las Vegas has a special numerology package set for this date. For $1,400 (Dh5,142), couples get the rights to use one of their Forever Grand wedding chapels, a professional pianist, the minister’s fees, limo service to the courthouse, floral and photo packages, hair service at a salon, 50 customised chocolate bars with MGM Grand logo and a souvenir certificate.

Numerologists, of course, maintain that say sequential dates and times hold special significance. And among sequential dates (such as 01/01/03 or the recently elapsed 10/11/12), the repetitive ones hold an even special place.

Worldwide, numerologists suggest that sequential dates and times hold special significance, which explains why there is a sudden rush of wedding parties and birth deliveries on such special dates, and some even try to zero-in on the rarest of rare special times on those days.

In fact, a dipstick (read: quick and random) survey conducted by this website last month found that almost 40 per cent of would-be brides will, if possible, consider shifting their wedding dates to what they consider a lucky or iconic date, such as last month’s 10/11/12, or the upcoming iconic 12/12/12.

So, where will you be on 12-12-12, at 12:12? Morning or afternoon, you ask? Does it really matter? It’s the last such date – just remember that!