Singles Day

Singles' Day (simplified Chinese: 光棍节; traditional Chinese: 光棍節) or Double 11 (simplified Chinese: 双11; traditional Chinese: 雙11) is an unofficial Chinese holiday for people who are not in a relationship. The date, 11 November (11/11), was chosen because the numeral 1 resembles a bare stick (Chinese: 光棍; pinyin: guānggùn), Chinese Internet slang for an unmarried man. The four "1"s also refer to the demographic group of single people. Ironically, the holiday has become a popular date on which to celebrate relationships: more than 4,000 couples got married in Beijing on this date in 2011, far greater than the daily average of 700 marriages.