Does the calendar have you seeing triple today?

Last Updated on Tuesday, December 11, 2012 06:21 pm Written by Cindy Nevitt Wednesday, December 12, 2012 01:00 am

Cindy Nevitt / Dec. 12, 2012, is the last time this century when the date will be the same number for the month, the day and the year.

What are you doing today? Nothing special?

That seems like a pretty typical response. Although today is 12-12-12, the last time this century when the month, day and year will be represented by the same number, very few people are planning to celebrate the iconic date.

Unlike 10-10-10 and 11-11-11, both of which fell on the weekend, 12-12-12 arrives midweek, a location on the calendar that fails to incite revelry. Michael Emens, catering manager for five years at the Golden Inn in Avalon, clearly remembers the property hosting a civil ceremony for a same sex couple on 11-11-11, which fell on Friday.

“We’ve got two Christmas parties on 12-12-12,” Emens said, “but not a wedding. Probably because it’s a midweek date.”

Krista Ostrander, who for the last four years has been helping plan weddings at Congress Hall in Cape May, said she remembers couples getting married at the historic property on 10-10-10, which fell on a Sunday, and 11-11-11.

“We don’t have one scheduled for 12-12-12,” she said. “I think that’s probably because it falls midweek. It’s unusual for us not to have something planned for a date like that.”

Nationwide, 12-12-12 is much more popular as a wedding date. David’s Bridal announced more than 7,000 of its clients have weddings planned today, a 1,446 percent increase over its 485 clients who married on 12-12 last year, which was a Monday.

Elsewhere in the world, 12 couples will get hitched on the historic date at the Maya ruins of Cahal Pech in Belize. The number 12 was significant to the Maya, believed to represent strength, conviction, absoluteness and finality.

The date 12-12-12 is also popular with expectant mothers in India. The Times of India reported that five hospitals in Bangalore each had three to seven caesarians sections scheduled for today. Last year, more than 70 babies were born on 11-11-11 in Bangalore, the paper reported.

Back in the U.S. at Madison Square Garden, the 12-12-12 Concert for Sandy Relief, featuring Jon Bon Jovi, Eric Clapton, Billy Joel, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones and many others, will be broadcast live at 7:30 p.m.

Famous 12s

There are 12 months in a year, 12 days of Christmas and 12 hours between high tides. There are 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 inches in a foot and 12 items in a dozen. There were 12 apostles of Christ, 12 Knights of the Round Table and 12 gods of Olympus. There are 12 members in a jury, with the 1957 film “Twelve Angry Men” considered a classic.

Famous people born on the 12th

Those born on the 12th are very artistic, highly imaginative and quick-witted, skilled at writing and the performing arts, and born salesmen.

Jan. 12: Kirstie Alley (1951), Howard Stern (1954), Rob Zombie (1965)

Feb. 12: Abraham Lincoln (1809), Charles Darwin (1809), Arsenio Hall (1956)

March 12: Liza Minnelli (1946), Mitt Romney (1947), Pete Doherty (1979)

April 12: David Letterman (1947), Claire Danes (1979), Saoirse Ronan (1994)

May 12: Dolly Madison (1768), George Carlin (1937), Tony Hawk (1968)

June 12: George Bush (1924), Anne Frank (1929), Kendra Wilkinson (1985)

July 12: George Washington Carver (1861), Bill Cosby (1937), Kristi Yamaguchi (1971)

Aug. 12: Cecil B. DeMille (1881), George Hamilton (1939), Pete Sampras (1971)

Sept. 12: Henry Hudson (1565), Yao Ming (1980), Jennifer Hudson (1981)

Oct. 12: Luciano Pavarotti (1935), Hugh Jackman (1968), Josh Hutcherson (1992)

Nov. 12: Grace Kelly (1929), Ryan Gosling (1980), Anne Hathaway (1982)

Dec. 12: Frank Sinatra (1915), Bob Barker (1923), Mayim Bialik (1975)

Iconic dates

Earlier this century, when 7-7-07 fell on a Saturday, every casino in Atlantic City featured a promotion for the supposedly lucky date. Princess Beatrice, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York (better known as Prince Andrew and Fergie) was born at 8:18 p.m. on 8-8-88.

Repetitive dates seem to inspire “end of the world” doomsday predictions. Days that the world failed to end: 6-6-06 (purportedly the sign of the devil) and 9-9-09. To a lesser extent, 12-12-12 has been suggested as the date the world would end, but that is mostly believed to be confusion caused by the similarity to 12-21-12, the final date on the Mayan calendar (and therefore the real end of the world).