The Beijing Morning Post reports that these days, many young people are choosing to get married on "Singles Day," which falls on November 11 this year.

The paper says some young people see the four "ones" in the date as a good omen that can be interpreted as "united as having one heart and one soul, and living together all their lifetime." On the other hand, this year's Singles Day is on a weekend, and this also leads to more weddings than on the same day in previous years.

Some other young people plan to get married on Sunday, one day after Singles Day, because they want to celebrate their last special day of being single.

Several companies that provide wedding ceremony services told the newspaper that this weekend is seeing an increase in new couples of at least 20 percent over previous years.

Singles Day is an exclusive day observed by people who are still living the single life. It got its name for this reason, and because the date is comprised of four "ones."

(CRI November 11, 2006)