To close a legal bond of love, two people are needed. Therefore, it is not surprising that in traditionally Christian regions two is considered to be the “number of Christian love and mutual affection, of marriages and of social life”. At least that is how the German philosopher Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim defined it in his 16th-century work Of hidden philosophy.
In this second month of the year, couples who want their union to be reflected in the date of their marriage, 02.22.2022, they will have the opportunity to celebrate it twice. Unlike 02.02., 22 is also an “even lucky number”. In Germany, for example, it is said that every time a person has a birthday with similar numbers, such as 22, 33 or 44, they have to buy a short drink.
According to one theory, they are also known as Lucky numbers because drunks see things twice. Another theory says that in a dice game you had to take a short drink if the number of points was the same. Berlin psychotherapist and writer Wolfgang Krüger believes that dates with “lucky numbers” have symbolic power. “People attribute a certain luck effect to it,” he told DPA. And in that case it would correspond to the belief in marriage, which has a strong symbolic charge.
Other lucky numbers and auspicious dates
Lucky number weddings are not a purely Western phenomenon. In China, especially in 2008 and 2009, there were numerous mass weddings on what were considered auspicious days. The numbers eight and nine, in particular, have great meaning. The number eight is associated with wealth and health in China. On 08.08.2008, some 314,224 couples said “yes” in the Asian country. In addition, Those who got married on 09.09.2009 expected a long and happy future together as a result, because apparently the number nine in Chinese has a phonetic similarity to the word “jiu”, which means “enduring”.
Even numbers – especially 8 – are considered lucky in China. And it is said that “good things come in twos”. Two is not a bad number either. Even numbers are considered stable and balanced by themselves. However, the number to which a possible positive or negative effect is assigned varies from one culture to another.
Numbers that mean bad luck
In India, eight is the unlucky number.. In China it is number four. Initially, as an even number, it meant a good life. Because it sounds similar to the term “death”, its symbolic load has changed. Outside of China, many Asians now avoid the number because of its negative connotations. In buildings, for example, the third floor is often followed by the fifth, and in skyscrapers, floors 40 to 49 are sometimes skipped.
both in China as in Thailand and Vietnam, the number seven is also often unpopular. The seventh month is considered a ghost month. In contrast, in Christian, Muslim and Jewish cultures, seven is usually a lucky number. In the respective scriptures, there are numerous examples where the number seven promises good things. In the Bible, for example, the holy scriptures of the Christians, creation lasted seven days.
In many cultures, 13 is the number of misfortune. In fairy tales, that figure often brings misfortune, as in “Sleeping Beauty” by the Brothers Grimm. The fear of the number 13 even has its own term, “triscaidekaphobia”, and is considered a superstition. For this reason, some airlines do without row 13 in their aircraft fleet.
Friday the 13th isn’t just unpopular with boyfriends: the fact that there is an American horror movie by the same name speaks for itself. But the specific fear of this date can become a phobic disorder: those who avoid dates on this date or even do not get out of bed on that day may suffer from “parascevedecatriafobia”.
The origins of number symbolism
The connection between number and meaning is very old. It probably dates back to Mesopotamia. It experienced its first apogee among the Pythagoreans. Kabbalistic teachings – an orally transmitted mystical tradition within Judaism – and medieval magical speculations are known for the connection between numbers and meaning. And in esoteric numerology, which according to the author of lexicon of symbolsUdo Becker, arrives at “mostly completely unfounded speculations”, the symbolism of numbers has endured since the new age.
The way a number gets its meaning can be very different. In cabals, for example, this occurs through the exchange of numbers and letters. Another possibility is the example of the Chinese number four: here, a phonetic similarity was the origin of the negative charge. Religious customs and traditional fairy tales are other sources for assigning negative charge to numbers. (AND)
Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
