Hong Kong, Singapore, China mark 12/12/12 with mass weddings
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Twelve couples attend a mass wedding ceremony at the Peak in Hong Kong on Wednesday, Dec 12, 2012. Thousands of couples in Singapore, Hong Kong and mainland China flocked on Wednesday to tie the knot on 12/12/12, seeking good fortune for marriages begun on the century's last repeating date. -- PHOTO: AP
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Twelve couples attend a mass wedding ceremony at the Peak in Hong Kong on Wednesday, Dec 12, 2012. Thousands of couples in Singapore, Hong Kong and mainland China flocked on Wednesday to tie the knot on 12/12/12, seeking good fortune for marriages begun on the century's last repeating date. -- PHOTO: AP
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Twelve couples attend a mass wedding ceremony at the Peak in Hong Kong on Wednesday, Dec 12, 2012. Thousands of couples in Singapore, Hong Kong and mainland China flocked on Wednesday to tie the knot on 12/12/12, seeking good fortune for marriages begun on the century's last repeating date. -- PHOTO: AP
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A couple poses for pictures after getting married at the registry of marriage office in Singapore on Dec 12, 2012. Couples in the region are flocking to tie the knot on 12/12/12, sparking a wedding boom on the century's last repeating date seen as auspicious by some to guarantee a happy marriage. -- PHOTO: AFP
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A just-married couple (centre) poses with relatives in Hong Kong on Dec 12, 2012. Couples swamped registry offices in Hong Kong to mark the once in a lifetime 12/12/12 by saying "I do" on the special day. -- PHOTO: AFP
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A bride (3rd from right) poses with friends for pictures before getting married at the registry of marriage office in Singapore on Dec 12, 2012. Couples in the region are flocking to tie the knot on 12/12/12, sparking a wedding boom on the century's last repeating date seen as auspicious by some to guarantee a happy marriage. --PHOTO: AFP
Twelve couples attend a mass wedding ceremony at the Peak in Hong Kong on Wednesday, Dec 12, 2012. Thousands of couples in Singapore, Hong Kong and mainland China flocked on Wednesday to tie the knot on 12/12/12, seeking good fortune for marriages begun on the century's last repeating date. -- PHOTO: AP
Twelve couples attend a mass wedding ceremony at the Peak in Hong Kong on Wednesday, Dec 12, 2012. Thousands of couples in Singapore, Hong Kong and mainland China flocked on Wednesday to tie the knot on 12/12/12, seeking good fortune for marriages begun on the century's last repeating date. -- PHOTO: AP
Twelve couples attend a mass wedding ceremony at the Peak in Hong Kong on Wednesday, Dec 12, 2012. Thousands of couples in Singapore, Hong Kong and mainland China flocked on Wednesday to tie the knot on 12/12/12, seeking good fortune for marriages begun on the century's last repeating date. -- PHOTO: AP
A couple poses for pictures after getting married at the registry of marriage office in Singapore on Dec 12, 2012. Couples in the region are flocking to tie the knot on 12/12/12, sparking a wedding boom on the century's last repeating date seen as auspicious by some to guarantee a happy marriage. -- PHOTO: AFP
A just-married couple (centre) poses with relatives in Hong Kong on Dec 12, 2012. Couples swamped registry offices in Hong Kong to mark the once in a lifetime 12/12/12 by saying "I do" on the special day. -- PHOTO: AFP
A bride (3rd from right) poses with friends for pictures before getting married at the registry of marriage office in Singapore on Dec 12, 2012. Couples in the region are flocking to tie the knot on 12/12/12, sparking a wedding boom on the century's last repeating date seen as auspicious by some to guarantee a happy marriage. --PHOTO: AFP
HONG KONG (AFP) - Thousands of couples in Singapore, Hong Kong and mainland China flocked on Wednesday to tie the knot on 12/12/12, seeking good fortune for marriages begun on the century's last repeating date.
Authorities in Hong Kong and Singapore respectively said 696 and 540 couples were scheduled to attend marriage registries, continuing a trend which has seen couples flocking to marry on 11/11/11 and 10/10/10 in both cities.
The figure is a near-fourfold increase compared to the daily average in the self-governing Chinese city of Hong Kong and about an eightfold spike for non-Muslim weddings in Singapore, which is three-quarters ethnic Chinese.
Couples also queued to marry in many mainland Chinese cities, on the basis that 12/12/12 sounded like "Will love/will love/will love" in Chinese, the official news agency Xinhua reported.
