So today, 11th November is Singles’ Day.
Heard of it?
So, Singles’ day is as festival widespread amongst young Chinese people, to celebrate the fact that they are proud to be single.
The date, 11 / 11 is chosen as the number 1 represents the individual who is alone, and the main tradition is to treat yourself (um, yes please!). The holiday has single-handedly created the world’s largest shopping day.
Known in China as “bare sticks holiday”, because of how it looks numerically, Singles Day began as an anti-Valentine’s Day in the 1990s when students started celebrating their singledom.
Traditionally, singletons treat themselves to shopping online and through mobile apps, getting whatever they want in celebration of being single.
And last year Chinese consumers spent a whopping £6 billion on online shopping in celebration (ummm how much!?).
If this wasn’t a good reason to starting opening up an ASOS tab, then I don’t know what is!
If you’re not single now, you’ve no doubt been single at some point. We’re all born single, after all, and we all have friends, family members, co-workers and others in our lives who are living, breathing singletons.
Singles are all of us, everywhere. And yet we don’t acknowledge it the way we do couples and romance.
In terms of celebrating, I think it’s a really really good idea. What better excuse to love yourself a little more (and buy that coat you’ve been eyeing up in & Other Stories)?
The greatest relationship you will ever have is with yourself, so why not give yourself a gift this singles’ day!
“Single is not a status. It is a word that describes a person who is strong enough to live and enjoy life without depending on others.”
