or that things happen in sets of three? If so, your ideas are as old as Pythagoras,a Greek philosopher who lived 2,600 years ago.Pythagoras believed that certain number and their multiples had mystical power. For centuries,people have given important to numbers and developed superstitions about them. Many of these superstitions have been passed on through the generations and still exist today.
Many of the superstitions surrounding numbers have a basis in science and nature. For example, early astrologers believed that seven planets governed the universe and therefore the lives of human beings. A seventh child was thought to have special gifts. Human life was divided into seven ages. Every seventh year was believed to bring great change. If a person's date of birth could be divided by seven, that person's life would be lucky. For the ancient Babylonians,three was a lucky number because it symbolized birth,life and death. Some people still believe that a dream repeated three times comes true.
Numbers don't have the same meaning in all cultures. Five is considered a most holy and lucky number in Egypt. But in Ghana, the Ashanti people consider five to be an unlucky numbers. To give someone five of anything is to wish the person evil. The ancient Greeks and Egyptians thought the number four was a perfect number symbolizing unity, endurance and balance. However, the Chinese consider the number four to be unlucky because it sounds like the word for death