As of 5:30 pm on Saturday, 3300 new couples had received wedding licenses on the day marking the one-year anniversary of the Beijing Olympic Games, the Beijing Times reported on Sunday.

Couples Tie the Knot

As early as 7am on Saturday, over 100 people were queuing outside the marriage registration office of Beijing's Chaoyang district. A man named Meng, who was waiting at the front of the queue, told reporters that he and his fianc��e had arrived at the office at 4pm the previous day because he believed that an "auspicious" date composed of two "eights" would bring the newly-married couple happiness and fortune.

Last year, some 15,000 couples registered for marriage on August 8, a date composed of three "eights" (08/08/2008) also the opening day of Beijing Olympic Games.

Over 500 couples had made on-site bookings in order to register their marriage on August 8, and a special reception was opened for those who had booked online in advance, according to an employee from the marriage registration office of Beijing's Haidian district.

On the same day, Beijing began on-site bookings for marriage registration on September 9th this year (09/09/2009), a date composed of three "nines".

Up to 11am of Saturday, more than 2,000 couples had registered online bookings for that date. It is estimated that more couples will get their marriage licenses on September 9 than that of August 8 this year.

In China, the number "nine" symbolizes long-lasting things, such as love, while the number "eight" stands for wealth and luck.

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