11/11/11: Is there a meaning?
Horses for tourists pass near the Great Pyramid of Cheops in Giza, Egypt. Cheops, the largest Great Pyramid, was closed November 11, 2011 because of rumors that spiritual groups would try to hold rituals and ceremonies there, at 11:11 on 11/11/11.
The day has arrived: 11/11/11. It looks cool, but does it have a meaning?
It depends whom you ask.
Some Chinese view the date as auspicious and romantic. About 1,000 ethnic Chinese in Malaysia used the opportunity to exchange wedding vows, the Associated Press reported.
"The numbers rhyme with one husband, one wife and one soul in Chinese and signifies a marriage that would last a lifetime," nurse Pua Kim Giok, 25, told the AP. She got married in Kuala Lumpur Friday.
Walt Disney World will also hold 11 weddings today, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
AP stated that in China, officials set off a train in Shanghai with the number "1111" at 11:11 am on the 11th line.
Fox News reported that some consider the date linked to the 2012 prophecies of doom and renewal.
The ancient Mayan long-count calendar ends on Dec. 21, 2012, and some people believe that this date will usher in a new spiritual era, or even doomsday. Nov. 11, 2011 most likely became linked with Dec. 21, 2012 when believers noticed that the U.S. Naval Observatory had set the exact time of the 2012 winter solstice for 11:11 Universal Time on Dec. 21, according to John Hoopes, a scholar of Maya history at the University of Kansas.
The importance of the date also led to reports in local media in Egypt that people were planning on holding religious rituals at the Great Pyramid of Giza Friday. Egypt responded by closing the pyramid of Cheops, also known as Khufu, for the day.
More from GlobalPost: Great Pyramid of Giza closed on 11/11/11
ABC News has put together an interesting list of things people might want to know about 11/11/11. For example, it states that couples looking to give birth on this date conceived on Valentine's Day.
And of course, the date has also led to its fair share of jokes. One journalist wrote on Facebook: "relax people it's 11/11/2011. I remember 11/11/1111 — THAT was an amazing date."
DISCUSSION: What does 11/11/11 mean to you? Are you doing anything to mark the occasion?