11 Things You Didn’t Know About Singles Day

If you live in the U.S., chances are you’ve never heard of Singles Day, which falls on November 11 every year. While the name may seem obvious as to its meaning and tradition, there is more to Singles Day than meets the eye, especially its reoccurring theme of elevens. So it’s only fitting that we present you with 11 fun facts about Singles Day and why it might just be your new favorite day of the year.

1. College Kid Created.

   The first Singles Day celebrations date back to the 90s when Chinese co-eds at Nanjing University grew tired of lamenting over being partnerless and decided to celebrate it.

2. Boy’s Club.

   November 11 was originally dubbed Bachelors Day but we all know the woes of single life cross gender boundaries. It wasn’t long before female students started joining in on the fun.

3. Anti-Valentine’s Day.

   The holiday was meant as a protest to Valentines Day…so why is it in November and not February? Because…

4. One is the Loneliest Number.

   11/11 was chosen because the numbers look like a congregation of singles. Get it?

5. It’s the Name that “Sticks.”

   Chinese Singles Day is called Guanggun Jie which literally translates to “bare sticks holiday.” While thinking of yourself as a bare stick might not be terribly comforting, one thing about the Double 11 holiday definitely is…

6. Singles Day Can’t Be Beat.

   Last year, Singles Day sales racked up a whopping $14.3 billion on Alibaba sites Tmall and Taobao alone. You can’t do that without offering rock-bottom prices. But Albiba’s Singles Day isn’t the only 1 day sale game in town. Nor is online shopping from China the only way to find amazing deals. Singles Day is spreading across the globe so look out for a promo code from your favorite store on “Double Eleven.” Add to that a little Cash Back at Ebates, and you’ve got a day to remember.

7. 180 Million People Can’t Be Wrong.

   That’s how many singles celebrate this day in China alone. That’s one slamming party!

8. Wine and Dine.

   It’s a well-known Singles Day tradition to go out to dinner with friends. Each friend asks for a separate check to pay their own way and symbolize independence and prosperity–also a great way to avoid doing math to split a check. That’s always annoying.

9. Breakfast of Champions.

   The morning of Singles Day is often started with a meal of four youtiao (deep-fried dough sticks) and a steamed bun. Why? To make the shape of 11.11 with the youtiao as ones and the bun as the dot in the middle! Cute, right?

10. Looking for Love.

    Not all celebrators are single and loving it, which has made blind date parties very popular on this day. In 2011, the city of Shanghai hosted 10,000 singles in one of the biggest blind date events in history.

11. Put a Ring On It.

    Every year on November 11 since 2011, Hong Kong and Beijing have reported a record number of weddings. Many people are also using this day to propose to their sweethearts. Maybe soon it will be called Single-No-More Day.

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