Happy 'Twosday': Rare 2/22/22 occurrence won't happen again for 400 years
CHICAGO (WLS) -- This is not your average Tuesday... because it's "Twosday."
Today's date on the calendar is 2/22/22, a palindrome that reads the same forwards and backwards, all comprised of the same number, and falling on the day that bears its name.
READ MORE: Happy Twosday! Don't miss out celebrating the coolest date of the decade
Babies who came into this world today have an even more special birthdate than their parents anticipated. Mia Grace Damian was born at Northwestern Medicine's Prentice Women's Hospital at 12:45 a.m. to Alex and Frank Damian.
"We didn't even realize the significance of the date until we were getting admitted to the hospital," said Alex Damian. "We were like, she could be born on 2/22/22."
The new parents said their daughter was actually due on the 27th, but labor started several days early.
And Amita Health announced a particularly auspicious birth, with mom Reem Ghunaim and dad Arafat Ighneim of Bridgeview welcoming their daughter Amany at 2:22 p.m. at AMITA Health Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center Chicago.
"This morning when we came to the hospital we said, we hope we get 2 o'clock, 2/22, and we got it!" Ighneim said.
Joanne Huerta and Mike Sakyra's second son also made his debut today, to his grandmother's delighter.
"I was having contractions all day yesterday and she was like, 'Hold it 'til midnight, he has to be born on 2/22/22,'" Huerta said.
Others had their eye on this date long ago, and planned to celebrate it in a special way. A popular choice was weddings as many either headed to the chapel or said their vows via Zoom, like Abigail and Enrique Perez. Together for five years, Abigail said she knew this date would be special.
Cynthia Montejano also had her eye on the date for her nuptials.
"I've always loved twos," she said. "Twenty two, two, 222, and I was like, you know what? We're going to get married on 2/22/22."
Montejano said the courthouse was booked, so she and her groom picked a more memorable venue and asked the bride's best friend to officiate.
"We went to a spot where I spent a couple days with my father before he passed away," she said.
"It actually means balance and unity," said Tamye Longoria about the symbolism of Twosday's numbers. "It's actually the yin and the yang coming together. It's the unity of two people becoming one."
Cynthia and her now-husband Ricardo legally married at 2:22 p.m.
And seniors at Concord Place Assisted Living in Northlake chose this date for a party celebrating the return of more social engagements. They dressed appropriately, too, in tutus.
And all this celebration was justified. The next "Twosday," in which February 22 falls on a Tuesday, won't happen for another 400 years, in 2422.
