(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-01-28 16:09

Chinese couples who wish to get married on the opening day of the Beijing Olympic Games can do so provided they apply in advance, a Beijing civil affairs official has said.

Beijing municipal civil affairs bureau spokesman Guo Xusheng denied rumors that marriage registration offices would be closed on Aug 8.

There has been speculation whether Beijing's working population, including government employees, would get some days off to watch the Games, which would ease the burden on the capital's congested roads.

"Couples are free to tie the knot on any weekday, so why not on Aug 8?" Guo said on Saturday.

The Chinese love the number 8 (ba) because it sounds like the word for wealth and fortune (fa). August 8 is "extra special" this year because of the three 8s in the date.

Many young couples choose to get married on such a date, hoping some of the luck would rub off on them.

Last year, 3,390 couples tied the knot on the lucky date, and some of them had to wait outside the marriage registration office for one entire night.

Some wedding planners, however, have advised newly weds not to hold wedding ceremonies on that day.

An online wedding planner Lu Ke said: "The government will impose rules to smoothen the flow of traffic during the Games, which could make transportation unpredictable. So you shouldn't take too many risks on your wedding day."

China Daily-Xinhua

(China Daily 01/28/2008 page2)