For those of you with an iPhone who have asked about today, or who have followed the rumours on the iOS forums, you know that if you ask Siri about today (What day is July 27?) and/or ask when the Gates of Hades Open (What day is Opening Gates of Hades?), Siri will tell you that they open today. (When I ask Siri the second question, it says the gates of Hades will open today.)

Some users are speculating as to why. Today is the first day of the Chinese Ghost Month and the Ghost Festival (and the Chinese say that the gates of hell, which is under the sea and has 10 palace halls, are opened on the first day of the 7^th Chinese Lunar month at midnight, which starts with the new moon that occurs today). Today is also the new — hidden — moon, which is associated with the Greek God Persephone who is Queen of the Underworld and the wife of Hades (but if this [alone] were the reason, would not the gates of Hades open with every new moon). It’s also the last day of Ramadan. When Ramadan arrives, the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of hell are locked up and Shaytan (devil) are put in chains (Source: Wikipedia). Thus, the implication is when Ramadan ends, the gates of hell again open and the devils are set free.

Is it the rare convergence of Islam, Taoism/Daoism, and Greek mythology that is causing Siri to reason that today is the day the Gates of Hell/Hades open and release  the souls trapped within upon their earth? Or is it something deeper and darker that only Siri in her infinite AI wisdom knows. What do you think?

Don’t bother asking LOLCat. I don’t mean to alarm you, but I already asked, and here is what LOLCat had to say: