Lovebirds rush to tie knot on May 20

SHANGHAI lovebirds are eager to say “I do” on May 20, or 520, which sounds similar to wo ai ni, or “I love you,” in Chinese.

Reservations for this day at marriage registration centers in almost all districts of Shanghai are full.

The centers were prepared for the expected avalanche of demand from lovebirds who want to tie the knot on what is believed to be an auspicious date.

“All reservation slots for the day at our center are booked,” Wu Yuexin, deputy director of the Yangpu District marriage registration center, revealed.

“We have adjusted the number of reservation slots daily based on demand, significantly increasing the amount available for reservation for May 20.

“We have received more than 100 reservations so far, filling in all slots.”

“All staff will work earlier than usual on the day to satisfy the surging demand,” Wu added. “For those who fail to make a reservation, we will issue marriage certificates for them, but we will disperse lovebirds to prevent gatherings.”

The city’s civil affairs authorities have introduced staggered registration to prevent too many people coming together and reduce the risk of cross infection of the novel coronavirus.

Reservations in districts such as Jing’an, Putuo and Hongkou for May 20 are also fully booked.

May 21, also sounding similar to “I love you” in Chinese, has also proved popular to exchange vows, with reservation slots in the marriage registration centers in districts such as Huangpu, Changning and Xuhui, fully booked.

It is a long-standing tradition in Chinese culture to get married on an auspicious date.

Local civil affairs authorities decided to work overtime on February 2 this year with an expected surge of marriage demand because the Sunday was a rare symmetry date, and 2020 sounds like “love you, love you” in Chinese.

A total of 2,697 couples said “I do” at centers across the city on May 20 last year, even surpassing the figure of 2,273 on Valentine’s Day.