Wedding Path NewsWire
Olympic wedding boom expected in China 485 views
The Chinese government is bracing itself for a rush of couples wishing to wed at the opening of this summers Olympics in Beijing. The games open on August 8, which is a number that has special significance in the Chinese culture.
The number "eight" (ba) is considered auspicious by many in China because it sounds like the word for "wealth" and "fortune," news agency Xinhua said.
"We've long been prepared for a stampede of newly-wed couples this year," Guo Xusheng, spokesman with the Beijing Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau, told Xinhua.
August 8, 2008, has a treble significance as it is the eighth day of the eighth month of the eighth year, which authorities believe will give it extra special popularity.
Almost 3,400 couples got married on the same day last year, some having to wait all night outside the marriage registration office in Beijing to guarantee they would get hitched on the 8th.
The significance of certain numbers in Chinese culture often dictates various aspects of the people's lives there. And of all the numbers, eight is considered one of the luckiest. Beijing, itself, opted to kick off the Olympic Games at 8 p.m. on 08/08/08.
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