JOHOR BARU - Unlike previous Valentine's Days when couples would get themselves hitched in mass weddings, many Chinese are avoiding marriage this coming Year of the Tiger.

Most Chinese couples believe that Valentine's Day, which coincides with the first day of the lunar new year on Feb 14, will not be a good date for marriage as it represents anger, argument and conflict.

Johor Baru Tiong Hua Association manager Eric Ku said it would usually have 30 couples registered to be married in a mass wedding three weeks before Valentine's Day on other years but time, it only had 12 couples.

"Last year, 40 couples were married in our mass wedding.

"We are only targeting 20 couples this year and it will be a small ceremony due to the dwindling number and the Chinese New Year celebrations," he told The Star here yesterday.

Ku said most Chinese believed that marrying on Feb 14 this year would doom the union due to the Tiger taking over from the Ox in the zodiac.

"Some also believe that it is not good Feng Shui to be married on that day," he said, adding that the association would instead organise a mass wedding on Oct 10 this year to take advantage of the auspicious date of 10-10-10.

"According to the lunar calendar, other months besides February are good for marriage.

"We expect at least 50 couples to be involved in the October ceremony," he said.

Tan Clan Association assistant registrar Angelyn Tan Lian said it had no plan to hold a mass wedding for Valentine's Day.

"Some 10 couples would usually register their marriage through our association every Valentine's Day.

"However, there has been no enquiries this year," she said, adding that the year seemed bleak for marriage and represented a stark contrast to the association's mass wedding last year, when 99 couples were married on Sept 9.

"Valentine's Day may be a day for lovers but this year, it seems not to be for weddings," she said.