( CNN ) -- `` Love 99 , Happiness forever '' was the theme as 163 couples married in Taiwan 's capital on Thursday . Thursday was the ninth day of the ninth month of the 99th year since the founding of Taiwan . Also , the number nine is auspicious in Chinese , because it sounds like the word `` longevity . '' The mass wedding ceremony was held at 8 a.m. at a pavilion of the Taipei International Flora Exposition . Taipei 's Mayor Hau Lung-bin served as the chief witness , and sent out his blessing at 9:09 a.m.The couples also received blessings from area temples , where bells were rung to celebrate the event . Among the couples married , according to the Taipei mayor 's civil affairs department : one couple who have been in love for 16 years ; one couple who 've had a three-year long-distance relationship ; and people with birthdays on September 9 .
The couple married at the same time , for auspicious reasons . Thursday was the ninth day of the ninth month of the 99th year since the founding of Taiwan . The number nine is auspicious in Chinese , because it sounds like the word ` ` . ''