Remember how lucky the number 7 was last year? Well it seems this year, 8 is the new 7. While thousands of couples decided to tie the knot on 7/7/07, many couples are following suit and getting married on 8/8/08.
Did you know that the number 8 is considered one of the luckiest in Chinese culture? In fact, the Summer Olympics in Beijing will commence at exactly 8:08 on August 8, 2008 for just this reason. One reason the number 8 is so revered is because the pronunciation of “8” in Chinese Mandarin is the same as the word for “prosperity” in Cantonese. The Chinese believe that the more eights involved in a couple’s life, the better the chances for luck and wealth. So it’s predicted that a huge number of Chinese-American couples will wed on this day.
But it’s not just Chinese couples who are considering 8/8/08 for their wedding date. Many couples like the significance of the number, find the date easy to remember, and just like to follow the latest trends. And besides Chinese symbolism, the number 8 has long been associated with blessing and eternity according to medieval lore. Also, the symbol for infinity is the number eight on its side. And, if that’s not enough, in numerology, 8 is the number of “building.” These are all great reasons to kick off a marriage on this date.
Since 8/8/08 falls on a Friday this year, it may not be quite as popular as 7/7/07. However, Friday weddings are typically less expensive than Saturday affairs, which may draw many more couples to choose this auspicious date--just as long wedding venues don’t catch on to the trend first.
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