Aug. 8, 2008, will not only mark the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics here but also the wedding day of about 9,000 Chinese couples.

The number is a new record because it is twice more than the previous single-day marriage record in Beijing, according to China's state-run news agency Xinhua.

The record number of marriage registrations is attributed to local superstition that the number "8" brings luck because the Mandarin word for it sounds like the phrase "to get rich." The same superstition was the basis of the government's choice of opening the Olympic Games on that date.

Thousands of couples chose the 8/8/08 wedding date when the application period for marriage licenses started in June. Wedding officials did not refuse applications for that date.