A newly wedded couple register for marriage in Shenyang, Northeast China's Liaoning Province on March 14, 2021. Photo: Chinanews.com

China's marriage registration authorities in many provinces worked overtime this Sunday to help some happy couples realize their dream of registering their marriage on a day with a positive meaning. 

March 14, 2021 is not just any ordinary day for the Chinese people, it is the White Day, one month after Valentine's Day. The numbers "2021 314" contained in the date, and "love you for a lifetime" are homonyms. It is also traditional Chinese festival Long Tai Tou (Dragon Head Raising Day) in the lunar calendar, which signifies a year of good luck. That's why many couples would like to register on this particular day, except that it fell on a Sunday. 

Luckily, marriage registration authorities came in to the rescue. "We would like to work overtime, and to bless the couples with a lifetime of love," many civil affairs bureaus across China announced on Saturday. 

Civil affairs bureaus in Xinji, in North China's Hebei Province, Zhengzhou, in Central China's Henan, Hengyang, in Central China's Hunan, Ma'anshan, in East China's Anhui, and Panjin, in Northeast China's Liaoning, are among many cities that opened their facilities for the couples. Live video shows that many couples came early to the civil affairs bureau and lined up to register.

According to the latest statistics released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs in February, the number of marriages in China has been plunging in the past few years. A total of 8.13 million couples registered for marriage in 2020, down 12 percent from 9.26 million in 2019. The number of marriages registered each year in China has been decreasing year by year since 2013.

The downward trend did not dampen the enthusiasm of the passionate lovers. 

Since the beginning of March, many civil affairs bureaus have been receiving inquiries about the availability of marriage registration services on March 14, a day that gives a  special meaning to the certificate . Some regional civil bureaus declined the request, while more chose to work an extra day to give couples an unforgettable wedding memory.

Although some said the obsession with the registration date is immature, netizens called it a warming and encouraging gesture, as the depressing COVID-19 epidemic has hindered a lot of marriage registrations in the year of 2020. 

"Couples who registered for marriage on such a special day will certainly be bursting with happiness, and always remember this day," a netizen wrote on China's Twitter-like social networking platform Sina Weibo.