Good luck with finding a table at a restaurant on November 11. The dateline 11-11-11 is turning out to be a smoking hot number for marriage registration in Johor, especially in Johor Bahru and Batu Pahat, where restaurants are all booked up. This trend is expected nationwide.
The Peking and Grand Straits Garden Seafood restaurants, which have four outlets each in Johor Bahru, have had bookings made a year in advance by couples banking on the date being super prosperous for wedding receptions.
The date is considered auspicious in the Chinese lunar calendar, being the 16th day of the 10th month. The fact that it falls on a Friday only adds to the air of festivity.
The date has what some Chinese belief has six lucky “1’s”, which to them signifies that their one life partner will also bring luck and good fortune to each of them. The date also has the bonus of being easy to remember, and facilitate good marital relations come the annual marriage anniversary.
Another bonus: the lucky numbers are also believed to add to the value of couple’s marriage certificate, so much so that numerous couple have been asking to have their marriages registred at 11.11am on the super lucky and romantic date. To explain, this is because that will make a fantastic eight lucky “1’s” in their marriage time and date; as popular lore has it, the number eight has acquired near-mythical status in the numerology of some Chinese communities. Added to the “1”, the combination is the synergy of Andy Lau meets Li Ka Shing.
Mr. Ku Liang Tong, the manager of Johor Bahru Tiong-Hua Association, reveals to Komunitikini that the association has organised a one-off group marriage registration for 111 couples on the day and is planning to hold the best ceremony imaginable. It will, of course, be held at 11.00am. A lavish lunch for all couples and their families will be served at the Wisma Tiong-Hua Building, Johor Bahru, on the same day.
All Johor Bahru Chinese associations which provide marriage registration services will be doing so for their members on that day. They are, the Johor Bahru Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Johor Bahru Hokkien Association, Johor Bahru Hakka Association, Skudai Tien Hou Temple, as well asnumerous church and temple-related associations.
Mark your calendars: 11-11-11, the wonderful day in the world to get hitched, especially in China, Taiwan and Singapore, where a certain Chinese view of the world predominates.
Picture taken from: http://coolthingsinrandomplaces.com/