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!