According to researchers, when asked to think of a number between one and 10, many people choose the number seven. The same thing happens when people are asked what number they like best. In many cultures around the world, the number seven is considered lucky. A recent survey found that the most common lucky number is 7, and if your favourite number has two digitals, 7 is often present. But why is 7 considered “lucky”? In this article, we explore the lucky number 7 meaning in more detail.
Why is 7 a lucky number?
Many people believe that 7 is a lucky number; however, whether it really is lucky is a matter of opinion. This belief probably comes from the positive things associated with the number. Like many beliefs associated with the concept of magic or luck, superstition also plays a large role.
The number has positive associations in many different cultures. There are seven days in a week, seven colours in a rainbow, seven continents and seven deadly sins. How many wonders of the ancient world are there? You guessed it – seven! According to studies, the human memory works best when remembering up to seven items. If you were to lay more than seven items out on a table, most people would remember seven with relative ease.
Symbolism
There is also a connection between number seven and religion. In the story of creation, God built the world in six days and used the seventh day to rest. The seventh day of the week is now seen as a day of rest. According to Biblical scholars, the lucky number 7 often represented completeness or perfection in the Bible.
There are seven heavens in Judaism. Seven heavens are also mentioned in the Koran, Islam’s holy book and Muslims on the pilgrimage to Mecca circle the Kaaba seven times. In Chinese culture, the lucky number 7 represents Yin and Yang and the Five Elements: fire, water, earth, metal and wood.
The lucky number 7 also has a couple of mathematical features that make it appealing. For instance, it’s an odd number. Unlike even numbers, odd numbers cannot be divided by two and are therefore seen as being more unique. Seven is also a prime number, meaning that it can only be divided by one and itself. Not only that, but it’s also the largest prime number between one and 10, making it extra specia.
Is 7 a Magic Number?
Some people think that the lucky number 7 is magic. Ever wonder why there are seven colours of the rainbow, seven days of the week, or seven wonders of the world? It could be a coincidence, or it could be magic.
In 1956, cognitive psychologist George A. Miller discussed the idea in an article called “The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two: Some Limits on Our Capacity for Processing Information”. The article was published in various places, including the Psychological Review. According to Miller, most people can identify about one out of five or six pitches of sound before getting confused. The range is pretty much the same, plus or minus two, for tastes, loudness and points along a straight line. The article also talked about memory, explaining that there is a finite span of immediate memory and that for lots of different test materials, this span is about seven items in length.
Number 7 in Chinese Culture
So, what is the Chinese lucky number 7? In Chinese culture, the number seven represents Yin and Yang combined with the Five Elements. The combination represents the concept of harmony in Confucianism. In Chinese Taoism, the lucky number 7 stands for Tao which is closely connected to beauty and kindness.
The lucky number 7 was also used in ancient Chinese culture. For instance, the Seven Treasures for Buddhist Scripture refer to silver, gold, coral, coloured glaze, amber, seashell and agate. The Double Seventh Festival is another example. Celebrated annually on July 7th, the festival represents the day the Milky Way Lovers, the Cowherd and the Weaving Maid were allowed to meet. According to the legend, when the Jade Emperor found out that his daughter, Weaving Maid, had married a poor Cowherd, he created the Milky Way to separate the couple. After that, the lovers could only meet on the seventh day of the seventh month each year when a large number of Magpies formed a bridge over the Milky Way. Because of this, the 7th of July is now considered the Chinese Valentine’s Day.
While seven is predominately considered positive in Chinese culture, it is sometimes disliked. The Marco Polo Bridge Incident took place on the 7th of July 1937, so the number sometimes reminds people of the Sino-Japanese War. Additionally, the number seven has the same pronunciation as Qi, which means cheating or lying to someone. Because of this, the number 7 is sometimes left out of telephone numbers in China. Finally, the “seven-year itch” is a popular saying in China to describe the unsteady time in a relationship or marriage. Some people believe that in the seventh year together, the couple will face serious problems that can break the relationship.
7 Lucky Number in Casinos
If you’re an avid gambler, you’ve probably come across the lucky number 7 in casinos. The combination of three sevens is used on casino games of all sorts. Often, the three sevens have the largest cash prizes. Want to try out the lucky number 7 for yourself? You’re in luck! Whether your thing is slots, roulette or live casino games, you’ll find something that suits here at NetBet. Sign up online to get started – it’s as simple as that!
