Wednesday, December 12, 2012

12-12-12


The day has arrived, and now the clock has started ticking. Couples rushing to tie the knot, babies getting ready to be born, birthday boys & girls happy that they were born this day...And with the time 12:12:12 arriving in just a few minutes (IST), you can imagine the chaos!

It's all over the place. In the papers, the radio stations, the TV channels, on cyberspace...everybody is making a beeline to make the most of it. So what's the fuss all about?

Will we be around to see another 'sequential' date? Unless destined to live to well over a 125 years, it's a 'no' for me, because 01-01-01 would take another 89 years to come! So what? I'm perfectly okay, even if the date is not sequential. To me, it could be just another day. Albeit, there's something about the number 12 that doesn't fail to fascinate even someone like me with the least of interests in numerology, lucky numbers or auspicious dates.


  1. According to Chinese numerology, the number 12 brings harmony to the yin and the yang. '1' is a yang number ruled by the sun, representing independence and individualism. '2' is a yin number ruled by the moon, representing symmetry and balance. 
  2. The number 12 has found its way into Religion (12 Apostles), Astrology (12 signs of the Zodiac), and Mythology (12 Greek Gods & Goddesses).
  3. There are 12 constellations in the ecliptic.
  4. The 12 animals of the Chinese horoscope: the Rat, the Ox, the Tiger, the Cat, the Dragon, the Snake, the Horse, the Goat, the Monkey, the Cock, the Dog and the Pig.
  5. The number of function keys on most PC keyboards (F1 through F12)
  6. There are 12 basic hues in the color wheel; 3 primary colors (red, yellow, blue), 3 secondary colors (orange, green & purple) and 6 tertiary colors (names for these vary, but are intermediates between the primaries and secondaries).
  7. There are 12 ounces in a troy pound (used for precious metals)
  8. Mathematicians love 12 for its inherent divisibility. It is a composite number and one of the few smaller numbers that can be evenly divided into multiple subsets: halves, thirds, fourths, sixths and twelfths.
  9. There are 12 inches in a foot and 12 in a dozen (Did you know 12 dozens are known as a gross? And why ever do we have 13 in a baker's dozen?)
  10. There are 12 pairs of ribs in most humans.
  11. There are 12 face cards in a deck.
  12. 12 often represents the end of one cycle and the beginning of another. December is the 12th month of the year; every 12 hours day turns to night or night to day.


Now as I countdown to 12:12:12...hope to hear from you on what you know about the number 12, and if you really think 12-12-12 is worth all the attention!

14 comments:

Shilpa Garg said...

Oh there is so much of hype for this 12.12.12! A friend is going for a cesarean operation today! :D
I saw 3 friends posting Facebook status update on 12.12.12 @ 12.12.12 hrs. :D
Experts believe that 12 December 2012 will open up a gateway for whatever is to happen on 21 December 2012. May be there is some cosmic energy surrounding this whole 12.12.12 hype. Let us live it up and find out what happens! :))


Insignia said...

What a 12! :-P

1 and 2 never got such attention and adulation ever before

Unknown said...

13 on a bakers dozen because 12 makes a dozen and one makes a sample (a cake for eg, people buy a dozen after they taste the sample)

Its ironic that the most loved (atleast by Mathematicians) and the most scared numbers lie near to each other. 12 and 13.

Add one to love and it turns scary!

Jeevan said...

Interesting facts and observation related to 12! Yes, the 12-12-12 fascinates but I see there’s nothing hype to create.
I published my today’s post scheduled to 12:12 am. Just for nothing :)

Rama Ananth said...

I never believed in such things, so I don't have anything to say. Sometime back there was some 10-10-10 thing going on.
Hope it turns out to be lucky for people who believe in such things.

Bikram said...

well they said the same for 11-11-11 and nothing happened I did not win any lottery and it was my birthday :)

now they say world is ending on 20/12 and OH GOD I jsut spent lakhs in buying a house .. i shud have waited till 21st then :)

Bikram's

Sandhya said...

Nothing happened on 12.12.12. Just the TV celebrated Rajni's birthday by screening his films.

The tidbits about 12 is interesting!

Anonymous said...

I think it is a cute thing to think about, but not more than that. Hope all those marriages that occur on that day last til death do them part!

Rachna said...

I've never understood the fuss around numbers. I think it is totally crazy.

Rahul Bhatia said...

That was a great post about the number 12 besides linking to 12/12/12:)

Destiny's child... said...

I don't know if there's anything to the hype but this post is very informative. May be this explains all the brouhaha around it!

The Holy Lama said...

R&D by the dozen. And 125 is young to die

R. Ramesh said...

waiting and watching..as someone said, v dont have to pass time.it will pass by itself..cheers

Haddock said...

.... and finally nothing happened.