Hong Kong couples rush to marry on 12/12/12

Surge leads to quadrupling of marriage applications.

The 21st century’s last repeating date has led to a wedding boom in Hong Kong among those who believe marriage on this day guarantees wedded bliss.

Hong Kong's marriage registry said it has received 696 notifications from couples planning to get married on Wednesday, nearly four times the daily average of 177 registrations in October.

Chinese traditionally rush to marry on repeating dates like 11/11/11 or 12/12/12. December 12 this year is believed to be particularly romantic since it is said to signify “love.”

Despite this belief, there are fewer marriage registrations this year than in the two previous years.

Hong Kong saw 1,002 weddings on 11/11/11, a date that signified "eternal love" and 859 weddings on 10/10/10, which represented "perfection".

The fewer number this year may be partly due to feng shui. Chinese geomancy experts believe that the triple 12 date is not perfect for marriage and rated it as just a comparatively lucky day.