12-12-12: Is today a good day for making a new beginning in life?

Mankind's belief in dates where the day, month and year all harmonise would have been put to the acid test if the ill-fated Titanic had rammed into an iceberg on December 12, 1912.

The collision happened on April 14, 1912, so the belief that synchronised, sequentially-numbered dates are lucky has endured. Jessica Ferri's blog notes that David's Bridal (one of the largest bridal retailers in the US) has estimated that approximately 7,500 brides will tie the knot today, a whopping 1,446% increase from December 12, 2011.

And AFP estimates that Singapore will see 540 couples getting married today, eight times the number married on the same day last year, and Hong Kong four times as many. Marry Abroad UK is reported as saying that there has been a 15% increase in inquiries about 12-12-12 even though the date falls outside the traditional wedding season of May to September. American numerologist Daniel Hardt has noted, "The date reduces to 11 (12 + 12 + 2012), which connotes a high degree of spiritual awareness and also brings sensitivity and romance to the marriage, but there is a danger of one or both parties taking things too seriously."

The only other hitch is that 12-12-12 falls on a Wednesday and not a weekend. In India, the media has already informed us that quite a number of expecting parents are keen on having their babies delivered today. The exact number will be known in a few days. With competition for everything getting so intense, being born on the right day could give the tiny tot the winning edge, or so parents would like to believe.