The luck of 08/08/08
posted at 8:08 am
on Jul. 21, 2008
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Four leaf clovers and horse shoes and rabbits’ feet are considered lucky in Western culture, but that doesn’t come close to the way that people in China revere the lucky properties of the number “8.”
It’s so considered lucky, that the Olympics are set to open on August 8, 2008, at 8:08:08 p.m. And a man in Chengdu sold his cell number, 8888-8888 for $270,000 dollars. I also know of a house nearby whose owner petitioned to have changed from 1816 to 1818, because that would increase the resale value considerably.
I would not be surprised to hear of Chinese women inducing labor in a few weeks to have their baby born on the auspicious Aug 8, 2008, and I can guarantee that there will be a huge number of weddings that day.
It’s considered luck because in Chinese, the number eight sounds similar to the word which means “prosper” or “wealth.” Which I think is as much of a stretch as the number six being erotic because it sounds like “sex.”
I plan to move on the 8th, and all I hope for is that nothing breaks or goes missing. Wish me luck!
