08.08.08: Numbers add up for many

Feeling lucky today? If there is a day for good luck, many believe it is this day, 8-8-08.

In Asian cultures, "8" is considered the luckiest number, representing prosperity.

"Eight-eight-eight, you can't have anything better than that," said Nancy Wang, president of the Redwood Empire Chinese Association in Santa Rosa.

The Olympics in Beijing begin today at 8:08 p.m., bringing the world right to the doorstep of the culture's lucky number: 8-08-08 at 8:08.

But you don't have to travel to China to find believers. By the time the opening ceremony is broadcast tonight, officials at the Sonoma County Clerk's Office will have performed as many as 60 ceremonies of their own, a wedding record for a single day.

Calls for an 8-8-08 marriage started in April, said Vicki Petersen, the chief deputy county clerk.

"This wedding thing exploded," she said. "Everybody's excited . . . because it's lucky."

The county's previous record for weddings was 36 on a Valentine's Day. During the June rush, fueled by the state's first legal same-sex marriages, the county performed 34 in one day.

For people who really believe in the power of the number, today is the day to sign contracts, get engaged or married, or make key life decisions. And if a mom-to-be has a Caesarean pending, then that's the day to pick to give birth, Wang said.

The Santa Rosa woman believes today will be a great day for her, her family and friends.

"Don't hesitate, do whatever you're going to do," she tells them, as the results should be better than expected on a different day. Adding, with a laugh, "maybe we should buy some lottery tickets."

Andy Ferguson, a Petaluma man who has lived, worked and toured for decades in China, said, "Chinese popular culture is extremely superstitious and very much into numerology."

Even numbers are preferable to odd, except for "four," which can represent death. "Six" means smooth sailing, and "nine" stands for longevity.

The number nine for many years was best. But starting in Cantonese regions, the number eight outstripped nine in popularity because the spoken word "eight" sounds like "faat" in Cantonese, which means prosperity, status and money.

In Japan, the Chinese character for eight is considered lucky because it is thought to look like Mount Fuji.

Ferguson recalled from his years living in Singapore how a car "license plate with an '8' was absolutely prime." And selling and buying such plates involved big money.

It made perfect sense to Wang that Chinese officials would set the opening Olympic ceremonies for the auspicious day of Aug. 8, 2008, at 8:08 p.m.

"They just had to," she said.

Perhaps one of the most obvious examples of the day's perceived luck-quotient worldwide is the rampant number of reports of a multitude of weddings.

At the Sonoma County Clerk's Office, the workday today is extended to 12 hours and thought to hold 52 weddings. But they upped that to 60 because of the volume of requests, Petersen said.

Only one couple requested 8:08 a.m. They were warned it would be tough to pull off, as license processing typically takes about 15 minutes and the office opens at 8 a.m.

Drat the luck.

The aura of the triple-8 date long has been known to officials at River Rock Casino in Geyserville, and they've planned special events to mark it, said Sarah Kenney, casino events promotion supervisor.

"We have such a strong Asian gaming population up here," Kenney said, casino staff made a point to look into the cultural backgrounds and see what type of events or entertainment their customers might like.

Tonight the casino will have music, Chinese lion dancing and will give away $888 in drawings on the hour for seven hours. On the eighth hour, the winner will receive $8,888.

"It's all themed with the number eight. It all comes into play," Kenney said.

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com.