BULGARIA: Just Married - 08/08/08

SOFIA, Bulgaria (Sofia Echo), August 4, 2008: By Svetlana Guineva Hoping for a happy and long-lived marriage, 100 couples in Sofia will say ‘I do’ on the date that will pass through our life only once, like many others for that matter, but the line-up of the triple eight is believed to bring prosperity and luck. Even the Beijing Olympics are set to open on that day, at 8.08.08 pm local time. In Chinese folklore, the number 8 is expected to bring fortune and wealth. Some of the couples applied as early as last year to have the marriage ceremony on August 8. According to the manager of one of Sofia’s ritual centres, the number of people willing to tie the knot on that day is many times greater compared to any other day of the year. An average of 6000 marriage licenses are issued a year in Sofia alone. However, the marrying frenzy recurs every time there is a fateful arrangement of digits expected to bring upon earthly bliss. Last year, the largest Bulgarian cities experienced the same anxiety as one couple after another were entering the ritual centres to get married on 07.07.07. In Sofia, there were 170 marriage ceremonies performed, 27 in Bourgas, 59 in Plovdiv and only 7 in Veliko Tarnovo. Not that there weren’t more enthusiasts ready to engage in a happy life together, there just wasn’t enough restaurants to accommodate the festivities. © 2001-2008, Sofia Echo Media Ltd