Thousands marry in China on 'Super Singles Day'

Thousands marry in China on 'Super Singles Day'

2011-11-11 19:16:29 GMT+7 (ICT)

BEIJING (BNO NEWS) -- Thousands of Chinese couples rushed to get married on Friday on the occasion of what is widely known as 'Super Singles Day', the once-in-a-century 11/11/11 date.

Singles Day has become extremely popular in China since it was first celebrated in the 1990s as a campus joke, and the date translates to "eternal love" in Mandarin. Many believe it to be the perfect date to say goodbye to their days of being single.

But for Chinese who are not in a relationship, Singles Day is also a day to find romance. "I'd like to make this year's Single's Day truly memorable by finding a Miss Right and ending my bachelorhood," 33-year-old Wang Haiming told state-run media.

As on Chinese Valentine's Day, many businesses are profiting from Singles Day, with especially flower shops reporting an influx of orders for roses. "Many customers who are married or already in relationships send flowers to their single friends as a way of passing on 'blessings and luck,'" a Chinese florist told the Xinhua news agency.

In Shanghai, the largest city by population in China, more than 3,300 couples were scheduled to get married on Friday. More than 3,000 were to marry in Nanjing, more than 1,300 in Hangzhou and more than 1,000 in Hong Kong. Officials said the final numbers are likely to be higher as some cities allow couples to come in unannounced.

"I think the number one means that my future wife will always be my number one," one groom told the government-run Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK). "I'll love her every day."

For other couples, Super Singles Day is just an easy-to-remember date. "It just looks nice, that's all," another groom said. "I mean, it's all ones, so you don't have to remember that much."

Chinese people have no shortage of traditionally lucky numbers. The number 10 means perfection, 9 implies eternity, 8 refers to wealth and 6 brings luck. On 10/10/10, more than 11,000 couples married in the Chinese capital of Beijing alone.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-11-11