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Many couples in China are choosing to get married on this particular date as it symbolises a triple portion of prosperity and has the added significance of being the opening day of the Beijing Olympics. -- PHOTO: AP
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Beijing - Thousands of lovebirds in China are rushing to tie the knot on the once-in-a-lifetime date of Aug 8, 2008.
In Beijing alone, some 8,000 couples have booked the date to register their marriages since special booking services began on June 5.
'We anticipate that Aug 8 will set a new record,'' the Beijing Civil Affairs Bureau said in a statement.
Previously, Dec 18, 2006 held the record in Beijing for the most number of couples - 4,479 - marrying on the same day.
For the Chinese, the number eight stands out because it sounds like the Chinese word for wealth and fortune.
And Aug 8 this year, or 08-08-08, is particularly special.
Besides symbolising a triple portion of prosperity, the date also has the added significance of being the opening day of the Beijing Olympics.
The fact that it falls on the seventh month of the Chinese calendar, the month of the Hungry Ghost Festival, matters little to many couples because China is officially atheistic.
One couple, Ms Liu Xiu and Mr Zhang Aibin, both 32, told The Sunday Times that they had put off their marriage plans just so that they could get hitched on Aug 8 this year.
'This date is special not only to us but to all of China. It does not matter if we are sharing the date with thousands of others - the more the merrier!' said Ms Liu, who has been dating her fiance for four years.
Mr Bai Ke, 28, and his fiancee Zhang Baojuan, 24, a kindergarten teacher, said that despite the unfavourable happenings this year, 2008 is not any less special for them.
China has been hit by an unprecedented string of disasters this year, starting with January's freak snowstorms and culminating in a massive earthquake in May.
'All the more we want to marry this year,' said Mr Bai, who works at a local gymnasium.
'We believe that Aug 8 will be a turning point for China. It will mark the end of the bad things, and the start of a more glorious chapter in China's history.'
Massive demand has prompted marriage registration offices in Beijing and other cities across China to offer advanced booking services to avoid being swamped on the actual day.
Starting last weekend, more than a dozen marriage registration offices in Beijing have been staying open on Saturdays and Sundays so that couples can complete the paperwork for their marriage certificates in advance.
The service will allow couples to collect their certificates on that day in two minutes, compared to the average 10 to 15 minutes.
But formal celebrations will have to wait for many of the happy couples.
None of the seven pairs interviewed by The Sunday Times said they planned to hold a traditional feast on the day itself, citing traffic restrictions as well as tight security on the day the Olympics open.
Instead, watching the Olympics opening ceremony on television will suffice.
Ms Gao Lu, a reporter, and Mr Li Mengqi, a civil servant, both 25, said they were not perturbed.
Smiling shyly at her fiance, Ms Gao said: 'When they set off the fireworks at the national stadium, it will be as if they are celebrating for us.'
tracyq@sph.com.sg
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