WHY of The Week

= Why is the number '40' so special worldwide?
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- For some, '40' means the peak of manhood and mental maturation.

- The mummification process in the Pharaohs culture took '40' days.

- In most cultures, when someone dies, after '40' days, a celebration to commemorate his/her farewell is made.

- In some cultures, in the '40'th day of marriage, it is said that the real marriage life of the couple has just begun.

- In Christianity, Jesus fasted for '40' consecutive days to teach people how to fight hardships. And Christians today fast for '40' days before Easter.

- In the Qura'n, it is mentioned that God forbade the Jews of Moses from entering the sacred land (Palestine, today) for '40' years because they refused to enter it at first, when Moses told them to do so.

- When Prophet Mohammad was '40' years old, God's Revelation of Prophecy descended upon him.

- Following childbirth, the menstrual cycle of a woman stops for '40' days because ovulation stops.

- The decomposition of a dead body is done during '40' days.

- '40' is the age of ultimate production for most artists/actors(actresses)/writers...

- The Italian president should be 40 years of age at least because of the ultimate production belief.

- The 'Sorbonne' in France used to give Maths and Philosophy PhD's at '40' years of age.

- Most epidemics need '40' days for all their symptoms to be observed on humans.

- Menopause may begin at '40' years of age.

* Translated From "200 Questions and Answers From Our Daily Life", Iyad Shafik Saab.

Abed, a woman's period wouldn't last for 40 days or she might die thirsty. :)

Thank you for the thread! I like it, do it every week. ;)

Edited: I know that if you live with certain people for 40 days, you become one of them. Just adding.

"Following childbirth, the menstrual cycle of a woman stops for '40' days because ovulation stops. "

Unless he edited this, he said stops, not lasts. lol.

This is very interesting! I love facts like this, odd that the number 40 has so much connected to it!

Noura -_-

I didn't say LASTS. I I said STOPS.

-- And yes, actually what you said "if you live with certain people for 40 days, you become one of them" was mentioned in the book ;) But I only chose those most important things to translate.

* Britt, yup. I was surprised too to find those various connections!

I think 40 days being around someone is a long time before you pick up their habits. I'm a product of my own environment I think. Chameleon! (Is that spelled right?)

Ooh LP post more!

Oh, Abed, I'm sorry, my fault! Wooh. -.-'

40... I could think of many things. Abed, you have the book, give us MORE.

Haha :P

It's in Arabic, and it needs time to translate for me :P

Maybe Nana should do that daily since she is majoring in Translation

I will change that to WHY of the Day not week!

--- EDITED:

Chameleon :P lool I thought that was a French word! cool!

Email me them. Nana's busy.

Edited: Britt, what do you mean by that Chameleon?

How can I email you a book? :P

Via the emailer. Edited, ok message me them in Arabic and I translate. MAN.

I'll write you an Acrostic:

S illy you, whatcha' sayin'?
T hey are 200 somethin' pages!
O h, what's an emailer btw?
P ray I won't slap you today!

^ Oh, and that RHYMES!

Oh dear Abed, how can I not return such a nice tribute. I also wrote you an Acrostic:

M y my, seems like someone's on fire!
A pologies didnt mean to ruin yo empire
K id you are, you bitch about everything
E ither shut up or be ready for my dinga ling

M y god, ur tongue seriously stinks
E asy on urself, you're gonna faint *winks*

^Oh, and that RHYMES TOO!

I think I caught a cold.

You have props, girl :)

Terbaytak. ;P (Translate: ughhh, it isn't your business! ;P)

Baahhahahahahhahahahahahhahahaha

oh God <3

Chameleon is like a lizard type thing that adapts to it's surroundings by changing it's color, it blends into the background (green/brown etc). Google pics. :)

This is the first time I heard of it. I learnt something today. Will google, thanks Britt.

WOW amazing thread really, very interesting, and 40 is number of my uni credits left for major two
:P

and who me ? ha...I can translate for your when Summer semester is over, tried to make Danny help me with one of my homeworks :P but he got dazzled.

DYING. however,...i want more fourties !

Cool, Britt! Actually there is a question as to WHY Chameleons change their colors haha.

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Nana, it's about time, yalla hanit :P (trans: it will be easy)

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

^ 40 kisses to you also :)

Hahaha yaaaaaaaaaay for MEEEEEEEEEEEEE
i love youuuu <3 haha :]

In the bible when God wanted to cleanse the earth in the days of Noah- it rained for 40 days and 40 nights..

Interesting facts on the #40 and well researched, Abed.

Here is some more on the significance of 40 from the Bible, from these Bible study links:
http://www.40day.com/40_in_the_bible.html
http://www.ecclesia.org/truth/40.html

Apart from it,
-The number of weeks for an average term pregnancy is 40 (some would say 38).
-expression "forty winks", meaning a short sleep

and more here in this wiki link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/40_(number)

But, this one is unbeatable:
"Life begins at 40 - but so do fallen arches, rheumatism, faulty eyesight, and the tendency to tell a story to the same person, three or four times." Helen Rowland quote (English-American writer, 1876-1950).

And this one from me:
"At the age of 20, we don't care what women think of us; at 30, we worry about what it is that will make them think of us; at 40, we discover that they weren't thinking of us at all in the first place."
:)

The word forty in Russian is 'sorok' which is unrelated to the normal Russian number system. Historically the word 'sorok' was used to describe a bundle of seal pelts (kept in groups of 40). It eventually replaced the original word for forty which was probably something like 'chetiridisat.'

Thanks, Connie, David and Jordan.

Jordan, did you mean by unrelated to the normal system is that we have 'dvatust (20), tritsat (30), etc etc' - They all have the 2 - 3 pronounciation to them, except for 'sorok (40)? I almost forgot that. Didn't know there was a reason behind it though, I thought Russians were just complicated.

:)

Thanks Connie! I know the story of Noah and the grand flood, but I never knew that it lasted for 40 days!

David, thanks also for that biological info, and lol @ all those illnesses. And a grand LOL @ the quote. So true, except that I'm below 20 :P

Thanks Jordan for sharing, too.