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Marriage centers kept busy on Qixi
From:Shanghai Daily  |  2019-08-08 08:29

IT was a busy Wednesday for the marriage registrars in Shanghai with 731 couples tying the knot during the popular Qixi Festival, also known as Chinese Valentine’s Day.

The Pudong New Area marriage registration center was the busiest with 156 couples getting married, followed by Minhang (56) and Jinshan (33) districts, according to the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau.

The total, including two cross-border marriages, was about double the normal working day average.

A registration center in Jing’an District offered a traditional wedding ceremony for new couples with Han-style clothing.

“We provided Han-style clothes and props for new couples, and they could also get a free photo shot here right away,” said emcee Chen Wenjia.

“We received more than 30 appointments on the Internet to take part in the ceremony,” said Liu Jin, the center’s deputy director. “The number of people drawing the certificates today is four times that of usual,” she said.

Yuan Liangcai and Tu Zhengdong said they made their appointment a month ago.

“Though we have known each other for only half a year, we love each other and wanted to tie the knot today,” they said. “It’s an auspicious day and easy to remember.”

Chen Wenyi and Ma Kexin, who have been together for three years, also experienced the traditional ceremony, saying it was a meaningful and memorable day for both of them.

Center officials said such activities helped promote traditional Chinese culture and the inheritance of family culture.

“Actually, there are many alternative days, but more people are willing to tie the knot during the traditional festival day compared with Valentine’s Day,” said Liu.

“So we meet their need and create the atmosphere,” she said.

Yangpu District marriage registration center had 45 couples exchanging vows yesterday.

“The figure is slightly more than normal. The traditional love festival of China has its allure for Chinese lovebirds,” said Guo Tingting, an official at the center.

A total of 1,187 couples tied the knot in Shanghai on the festival last year.

On January 4, 2013, nearly 7,300 couples said “I do” because the date sounded like “forever love” in Chinese.

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