Image from alohaislandweddings.com
Definitely great to hear people are getting married and I wish every married couple a life happy ever after! My friends Garbo and Janet are both getting married soon, and of course, I will be there, and of course, I will pay my money gift, so let's not worry about that. But if you want me to say anything on the stage, please let me know before hand, because I can only crack jokes without preparation, but not meaningful words. And, save your cash, no shark fins please!
If you want to learn more words about wedding, you can visit http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2009/09/vocabulary-wedding.html or visit http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2009/07/vocabulary-hairstyle-terminology.html just in case you want to check the name of your hairstyle when you attend a wedding.
Okay, back to our topic.
Triple-10 weddings perfect in every way, couples hope Marriage registries in Hong Kong were overflowing yesterday, as 137 couples tied the knot in the hope that the special day 10/10/10 will bring them "a perfect marriage." Diana Lee Monday, October 11, 2010 Marriage registries in Hong Kong were overflowing yesterday, as 137 couples tied the knot in the hope that the special day 10/10/10 will bring them "a perfect marriage." October 10, 2010 is auspiciously referred to as "shi quan shi mei," or "perfect in every way." Chan Chi-hung, 29, exchanged vows with Yip Mei-ki at Tsim Sha Tsui Marriage Registry at 10am, promising to give the best for his wife. "Today is unique; 10/10/10 will happen only once in 100 years. I hope I can give her 100 percent of my care," the happy groom said. The couple asked 10 friends to make the online booking 3 months ago, as there was keen competition on the special day. October 10 has another meaning for a groom named Shek, 32. "Today is my birthday," he said, adding he waited for five years to pick his wedding day. Another, named Wong, said: "It was full, but we managed to get a place on the waiting list." Some couples were unable to book wedding banquets, however, and had to invite guests back another day. The government said the five wedding registries have a maximum capacity of 138 couples on Sundays. The total marriages yesterday did not include weddings in churches and private venues. At Harbour City, 10 couples took the plunge at the Tsim Sha Tsui mall - a ceremony co- hosted by Super Star Seafood Restaurant. On another special day, 09/09/09, a total of 127 couples got married, while 57 couples took their vows on Valentine's Day, which fell this year on the first day of the Lunar New Year. In Beijing, 200 couples held a group wedding at the National Stadium, better known as the "Bird's Nest." Many others also used the stadium as a backdrop for their photographs. Meanwhile, a survey of 300 unmarried Hong Kong women found that those aged over 26 do not consider themselves as what the media have called "leftover women." Ninety percent were in a relationship before, and 39 percent said they just have not found the right man. Atty Ching Tsui-wan, director of sex and family therapy at the Touch Counseling Centre, said unmarried women should not be bound by traditional values and under pressure to marry early. "They should get to know themselves first, in order to know what kind of men they want to spend the rest of their lives with," she said. |
Vocabulary:
tie the knot -- (informal) to get married.
auspiciously -- (adv) suggesting a positive and successful future
vows -- (n)[C] a serious promise or decision
banquet -- (n) [C] a large formal meal for many people, often followed by speeches in honour of someone
Opinions:
Hong Kong people are full of creativity, so, if 10-Oct can be such an important day not only for the Taiwanese but also for couples, then I just can't imagine how many more "lucky" days can there be. Look, apart from the traditional lucky days on the Chinese lunar calendar, last year there was this 9-September which symbolises "longevity", there are 8-August, 18-August, 28-August symbolising "good wealth". 7 July at 7 o'clock wins "jackpot". 6 June symbolises "unlimited", depends on what kind of things you want to be unlimited.
How about planning your wedding date on the same day as the World Cup final? That's cool, except that no guys will be willing to attend your wedding that night, unless you offer some Blue Girls and a huge Plasma TV.
Could there be more? That'll be your homework. The fact is, if you care enough, you will remember it anyway, no matter how difficult it is to do so, if you don't want to remember, you never can, so for some dates to be easier to remember isn't a good enough argument from my point of view.
Image from norsktur.napex.no
But, if you want to be really special, you can also try to hold your wedding on the leap day of a leap year, say 2012-Feb-29 or 2016-Feb-29, then you can either have your wedding anniversary celebrated once every 4 years, or celebrate 2 times every year on the 28-Feb and 1-Mar, or anticipate for that second to come between the two days.
Sometimes, something that is more rare is the thing that people treasures most. (Further reading on leap year or leap day, please see the links below)
Resources:
News Article
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=11&art_id=103683&sid=29885880&con_type=1&d_str=20101011&fc=1
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2009/09/vocabulary-wedding.html
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2009/07/vocabulary-hairstyle-terminology.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_calendar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leap_year
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/tie-the-knot#tie-the-knot__1
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/auspicious
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/vow_2
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/banquet
