In Singapore, the Date’s the Thing : 8/8/88 Bodes for a Prosperous Future

The auspicious date rolls around only once a century--8/8/88--and it has number-conscious couples in Singapore flocking to get married on that day.

Engaged couples have already booked all 90 available slots at the Registry of Marriages on Aug. 8. The registry has had to put up a sign telling couples it has no more openings.

Those being turned away have the option of joining more than 100 other couples in mass nuptials at a theater-restaurant that will be staffed by registry officials.

At least four hotels and six restaurants are fully booked for Chinese wedding dinners on Monday, Aug. 8.

The date is auspicious because Cantonese-speaking Chinese pronounce the number eight paat, which sounds like faat, which means prosperity. Hence, the belief that a date made up of all eights bodes well for the future.

Many of those who can’t marry on Aug. 8 seek propitious alternatives. The Registry of Marriages, which usually averages 43 marriages a day, reports that Aug. 1 and 2 are proving popular as second choices.

The local usage of numerical dates places the day first followed by month and year. So Aug. 1 appears 1/8/88. It is pronounced yat paat paat paat, which sounds like once prosperous always prosperous. Aug. 2, or 2/8/88, is pronounced “yee paat paat paat” --”easy to be prosperous.”

Some of the betrothed want to cover two special dates. They plan to marry on Aug. 8 but delay the wedding dinner until Sept. 18, which in the lunar year, coincides with the eighth day of the eighth moon.

“Sept. 18 was fully booked in November last year,” said Jessica Eng of the Cathay Restaurant.

Millions in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and other parts of Asia hold a deep respect for what they perceive as the power of certain numbers, particularly older people whose beliefs are strongly influenced by China’s traditions.

While 13 is unlucky to Westerners, the number 4, alone or in a combination such as 24 or 44, is bad news for many Chinese because in Cantonese it sounds like the word for dying.

Numbers affect many things. Municipal officials say they receive about 10 written and many oral requests each year from people who want to change house numbers because they believe the ones they have are unlucky.

Applicants get a standard reply: No change is possible, “as this will result in a haphazard system, abuse and impropriety.”

Real estate agents say that if Chinese have a choice when buying or renting property, they generally shun houses or apartments with the number 4. Some developers offer discounts when selling condominiums with unlucky numbers, especially if the market is sluggish.

The auctioning of license plates with lucky numbers fetched the equivalent of about $1 million in Singapore dollars in the last three years for the Registry of Vehicles. Plates with multiple number eights are special favorites.

If Aug. 8, 1988, was not auspicious enough, this is also the year of the dragon in the Chinese astrological cycle. Following a rabbit year in the 12-year zodiac, the dragon is considered a mighty creature that bestows blessings.

A spokesman for the Population Planning Unit said it expects an increase in births this year, children who will be known as dragon seeds.

Not everyone agrees that popular dates have much to do with custom or traditional belief.

“The couples have departed completely from the Chinese almanac in choosing these dates,” said Lee Siow Mong, a retired educator and president of the China Society. “The traditional way is to pick the proper date and time according to the almanac.

“Personally, I think all this talk about 8/8/88 being lucky is very stupid and baseless,” Lee said.

Nevertheless, Maggie Tay, who was told that all the Registry of Marriage slots were taken on Aug. 8, still wants to go by the numbers.

“It is a special day that comes along only once in a hundred years,” she said.