NUMBERS

NUMBERS

If you ask your friends and family, you will no doubt find that some of them have a lucky number. They might use this number in all kinds of ways, from playing the lottery to planning an event on a lucky date. Some cultures view certain numbers as lucky or unlucky. The reasons can range from religious significance to the way a number is pronounced.

13
Jews and Sikhs consider 13 a lucky number because it is associated with the worship of God. However, to many it is unlucky. Christians feel it is linked to Judas, who was the 13th apostle at the Last Supper and betrayed Jesus. When the 13th of the month falls on a Friday it is especially feared. Some believe Jesus was crucified on Friday the 13th. The ancient Romans felt the number 13 was a sign of destruction.

9
In Thai, the word for nine is the same as the word “progress.” In neighboring Japan, though, the number sounds like the word for “pain” or ”torture” and so is dreadfully unlucky.

33
In Spain, the phrase “trienta y tres” is said to make people smile when they are having their picture taken.

4,233
This was an unlucky number in ancient Egyptian culture. The hieroglyphs (pictures) that represented 4,233 can also look like they are showing a young pharaoh being murdered.

7
In Irish folklore, a seventh son of a seventh son is believed to have magic powers, but in Portuguese legends he is a werewolf. In Iran, a cat is said to have seven lives, not nine. The number symbolizes perfection and God in the Jewish and Christian faiths.

40
Some Russians believe that a dead person wanders the earth for 40 days after they die. During this period they cover all the mirrors in the dead person’s house so the person is free to go to heaven. Some Russians also believe that you will be forgiven 40 sins for every spider you kill. Unlucky for spiders.

328
Three digit numbers are very popular in China, as the number three stands for liveliness. The number 328 sounds like “business will prosper” when spoken, and business owners will happily pay extra to have these digits in their phone number.

18
The Hebrew word for life has a numerical value of 18. In Jewish culture, it is common to give gifts and donations in multiples of 18 in hope for the blessing of a long life.

14
In South America, 14 is a very lucky number since it is two times the lucky number seven. If you go to China, however, 14 is considered one of the scariest numbers since it sounds like “want to die” when said.

5
In the Islamic faith, five is a sacred number. There are five major parts to the faith, called the Pillars of Islam. Followers of the faith pray five times a day, and there are five types of Islamic law and five law-giving prophets.

666
Many Christians believe the number 666 to signify evil as it is recorded in the Bible as being the number of the devil. But, in China, it is one of the luckiest numbers as the word for six sounds like the word for “smooth” or “flowing” so saying “666” is like saying “everything flowing smoothly.”

4
The fear of the number four in many Asian countries is comparable to the fear of 13 in the West. In China, Korea, and Japan, the word for four sounds like “death.” Companies like Nokia have avoided the number in naming their products so they won’t lose sales in their Asian markets.

17
In Italy, 17 is considered a very unlucky number. In Roman numerals it is written as XVII, but if you juggle the letters around you get VIXI, which means “my life is over” in Latin. Some Italian airlines skip row 17 on their planes, and Renault sold its “R17” car in Italy as “R177.”

888
In Greek, every letter has a corresponding number, and words have a number that is the sum of all its letters. In this system, the number 888 was an early Christian number that represented Jesus, and was often used as a special code. In China, as eight is a lucky number, 888 is extra lucky and indicates prosperity and wealth three times over.

42
In Japanese, when 4 and 2 are pronounced together it sounds like “going to death,” and so the number is avoided at all costs.

3
In Russia, the number three is very lucky. It represents the Holy Christian Trinity—God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. People in Russia kiss each other three times when they meet, and give each other three flowers if they’re being extra friendly.