By IANS,
Beijing : More than 2,500 couples have tied the knot on Valentine’s Day in China, an official said Sunday.
Valentine’s Day is becoming increasingly popular for marriages among the Chinese people, said Li Ziwei, chief of the marriage bureau under the civil affairs department.
A total of 2,689 couples tied the knot on Valentine’s Day Feb 14.
The number has increased by nearly 2,000 marriages this year as compared with last year’s Valentine Day, Li said.
Haidian district, home to higher learning institutes and hi-tech firms, had the most marriages with more than 600 on Saturday.
Li said the wedding boom was due to the even numbered day on Saturday according to the Chinese lunar calendar. The Chinese people associate even numbers with good luck.
The current economic situation in the country has also prompted many people to tie the knot.
The official said: “With the financial crisis, many people, especially young people, have chosen to shift their focus of life from career to family.”
In China, people have to produce their identity cards, household records, and photos to register their marriage.