Singles Day
Today is Singles Day! This Chinese holiday is always celebrated on November 11. It is a day for single people to celebrate and socialize, and has become very popular among young Chinese people. Some think of it as the anti-Valentine’s Day!
The Chinese name “Guanggun Jie” literally means “bare sticks holiday” which refers to the date of 11.11. To celebrate, young singles host parties and Karaoke events to meet new friends or try their fortunes.
Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba reinvigorated it in 2009, as it put a new spin on the traditional singles celebration by leveraging it as a marketing tool. It has recently become the largest online shopping day in the world. In 2014, it surpassed sales of $9 billion in just 24 hours!
Some people eat four Youtiao (deep-fried dough sticks) to celebrate, which represent the four “ones” in 11.11. They traditionally top that off with one Baozi (steam stuffed bun) which represents the middle dot.
To celebrate, host a party or Karaoke night to help friends mix and mingle!
- November 11, 2020 is also Veterans Day | Remembrance Day | National Sundae Day
- November is Family Literacy Month | National Pomegranate Month | Peanut Butter Lover's Month
- This week is Pursuit of Happiness Week
