11.11.11

What are your plans for tomorrow? Did you know that it will be the 11 / 11 / 11? In the calendar this curious combination of numbers occurs once every hundred years, and according to the oriental numerology it will be a very lucky date, that’s why many couples, especially in India, have chosen this date to celebrate their wedding.

But it is not considered lucky all over the world; in the Western medieval symbolism, for example, the number 11, going beyond the 10 Commandments, would be the number of sin.

Should we believe this? Of course not, because in the same Christian tradition the number 11 can take a completely different meaning; it is the number of the Apostles that remained faithful to Jesus after Judas' betrayal, but also the number of ships that accompanied St. Ursula to Cologne in her battle against Evil.

Superstition, however, is limitless and so, just look around a bit on the Internet and you’ll discover that the imminent arrival of 11/11/11 has sparked the imagination of many people around the world and led to over 194 millions web pages devoted to this subject.

Whether you believe in "the magic of number 11" or not, try this little “experiment” with your friends. It’s very simple. Add up the last two digits of your year of birth (for example "74" if you were born in 1974) with the number of completed years (or to be completed) during 2011. You will find that the result is always "111" ("74" + "37" in my example).What’s the trick? Actually, there is no trick; 111 is the result of a sequence of simple additions and subtractions:our year of birth - 1900 + of our current age = 111

Obviously next year the same formula will result in 112!

Who's afraid of Friday the 13th?

Paraskavedekatriaphobia. Just trying to pronounce the word is scary. It refers to the fear of Friday the 13th, and it's been said that as many as 21 million Americans may suffer from it, not to mention all the other ones in the rest of the world!

There are many origins for the date being seen as the unluckiest of the year. One is that Christ was the 13th guest at the last supper and was crucified on a Friday. Tradition also has it that Friday the 13th was the day Eve tempted Adam with the forbidden fruit and the day Noah's flood began. For centuries, no ship would sail on Friday the 13th.

The Knights Templar rose to prominence in Europe between 1096 and 1307. Their downfall came on Friday 13th October 1307. This date saw the catastrophic destruction of the Knights Templar by King Philip of France and his puppet Pope Clement V.

I’ve read that there are no houses in Paris with the number 13 and many New York hotels do not number the 13th floor or have rooms numbered 13.

In Brazil instead, Friday the 13th is a magic day because each time it becomes the festival of Macumba, a mixture of ancestral religion and rituals. I’d rather party with the Brazilians rather than spend my day at home in superstitious fear tomorrow!

And then my personal Friday 13th unlucky day was already yesterday, Wednesday 11th! My dad had an emergency operation (fortunately today he’s already recovering!), my son broke his nose playing football, my daughter got her forehead badly bruised by a “flying” ball in the playground and my husband’s car slid on black ice on his way to work and the radiator and the front of the car were smashed. Luckily he was unhurt. So, what else could go wrong? Actually, plenty more...

However I think that tomorrow is the perfect time - the first Friday the 13th of the year - to face all those fears. Stare superstition in the face. Break a mirror. Walk under a ladder. Be bold! After all we are in the year 2009!