USA TODAY
(USA TODAY) -- 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 told The 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."
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.
Source: The Cincinnati Enquirer