The hugely popular wedding date 07/07/07 has come and gone, this year the ‘in’ date is 08/08/08. While the date shares much of the appeal of 7/7/07 there are other attractions to it. The date is not only catchy but the number 8 is also considered very favourable in Chinese culture. The Chinese pronunciation for ‘eight’ (ba in Mandarin and paat in Cantonese) sounds similar to the word for ‘prosperity’ (fa in Mandarin and faat in Cantonese). The more eights involved in a couple’s lives, the better chance they have for luck and wealth (so get booking!). Numbers play a large role in choosing a wedding date for the Chinese (many Chinese couples are given a selection of auspicious days on which to marry). This applies to any special event in Chinese culture. In fact, the summer Olympics in Beijing will begin on 8/8/08, at 8:08 p.m.Along with the good luck associated with the number eight, 8/8/08 has a few other factors that might make it a desirable day to get married. August is always a popular month for weddings and when the numeral “8” is turned on its side, it becomes the symbol for infinity — a fitting motif to represent the beginning of a marriage!
The only thing going against the date is that it falls on a Friday which is less popular day than Saturday for weddings. If you’re into the idea of using significant numbers for your wedding date but don’t want to get married on a Friday, consider a Saturday in next June when the numbers line up in sequence, on 6/7/08. If you aren’t getting married this year, don’t worry there is always 09/09/09, 10/10/10, 11/11/11 and 12/12/12!